


galaxies of blood, veins of starlight

by orphan_account



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Blood and Gore, Canon Universe, Character Death, Character Development, Dialogue Heavy, F/F, F/M, Galra Keith (Voltron), Gen, General Keith (Voltron), Heavy Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Sort Of, Traitor Keith
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2020-05-19
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:43:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 10
Words: 28,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21945079
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The attempt to rescue Allura failed, trapping not only her on Central Command, but Keith as well. After his heritage is discovered, Zarkon offers him a place in the Empire, and with few options, Keith accepts.Though he intends to do what he can to take the Galra down from the inside, he doesn't expect to become close with the Galra he meets, or the bitter feelings that begin to build up against his former team. Things regarding the Empire are much more complicated than he could have ever imagined.All while growing dangerously close with Acxa, he must decide with whom his loyalties lie, if there's to be any hope for the universe.
Relationships: Acxa & Lotor (Voltron), Acxa & Narti (Voltron), Acxa/Keith (Voltron), Allura & Keith (Voltron), Ezor/Zethrid (Voltron), Keith & Krolia (Voltron), Keith & Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 42
Kudos: 114





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I rewatched Voltron over my break, and Acxa and Keith are my favorite characters, which led to this. I can't wait to expand on the Galran characters. Not to mention that there's like no content for this ship (like what the hell guys it's fucking great). Anyways, I hope you enjoy the fic!

Allura had no idea why her and Keith had not been separated, she was just grateful it hadn’t happened. She wasn’t sure Keith would still be breathing if he had been tossed into a cell alone, and she would certainly have gone crazy days ago without having something to do, someone to care for. 

Soft coughs shook her from her thoughts. “Allura?” Keith asked weakly. 

“I’m here,” she assured him as she softly laid a hand on his head. 

“How long?” 

Allura sighed. “Two days.” He’d been unconscious for  _ two days.  _ He wasn’t going to last much longer. She wondered how many times he’d actually be able to open his eyes again. 

He hummed. “‘M sorry. I don’t mean to leave you alone.” 

“It’s not your fault,” she assured him, taking in his sorry condition. His leg that was broken in so many places she could never hope to splint it properly. His misshapen chest full of cracked and broken ribs. The cuts that sliced over his eyes and down his cheeks, leaving him blind. To say nothing of the internal and head injuries she knew were there but couldn’t see. Zarkon had shown him no mercy, not that Allura would have expected him to. 

“I’m dying,” he said. It was the first time he talked about how badly injured he was, but he obviously had to know. The fact that he was addressing it now was a very bad sign. As much as she knew she couldn’t save him, Allura didn’t want to let him go. 

“Yes…” she said quietly. There was nothing she could say to comfort him. 

“If… if you ever see him again, tell Shiro I’m sorry. I didn’t listen, and now I’m…” He wheezed. Blood speckled his lips. “Just tell him I’m sorry.” 

“I will,” she promised, though she seriously doubted she would ever see him again. She was going to be the next one to die in this prison. It was a small mercy that it had only been her and Keith captured, and she knew she wasn’t getting back out. The only way she’d ever see Shiro again would be if he were captured as well, and that was the  _ last _ thing she wanted. 

He let out a soft sigh of relief. “I’m sorry you’re here, but I’m glad I’m not alone. I don’t want to die alone.” 

Tears pricked at Allura’s eyes. “You don’t have much time left, do you?” 

Keith just barely managed to shake his head, then winced. “I can barely stay awake,” he muttered. “And I can tell that I won’t… I’m not going to wake back up this time.” 

“I’m sorry.” She had no idea what to tell him.

“Not your fault…” His eyes began to slip shut. 

“No…” Allura whimpered. “Please don’t-I don’t want you to die.” 

“Sorry…” he managed to whisper. His eyes closed. 

“Keith?” Allura leaned over him. He didn’t answer. “Keith, please…” Her voice cracked. She gently laid a hand on his chest. He was still warm, still breathing. But he was right. Allura didn’t think he was going to wake up again. 

The door to their cell opened and Allura jumped. Then she frowned. Their meal wasn’t due for another hour. 

Haggar stood in the doorway. Allura stood and bared her teeth. “What do you want?” 

“So the red paladin has finally given up,” she said. She came closer, eyes focused on Keith. 

“Stay away from him,” Allura snarled, as if there was anything else the witch could possibly do to him. 

Haggar sneered. “I can’t wait to have another human to play with. I wanted to see how long he would last in his condition.” 

“You let him  _ die, _ because you were  _ curious?” _ she hissed. 

“Is he dead?” she asked. 

“He’s close enough!” 

The witch hummed. “I wonder what will have to be done to keep him alive.” 

A spark of hope ignited in Allura’s chest, but it quickly went back out. Keith dying would be a mercy to him. Being kept alive only meant more torture later, or in Keith’s case, experimentation. 

“No,” she said firmly. “He doesn’t deserve this. Just let him go.” 

Haggar smirked. With a wave of her hand, black lightning arched towards Allura, and everything went black. 

* * *

When she awoke, the cell was empty. Keith was gone. 

She curled into a ball and felt tears begin to run down her cheeks. He was gone. He was really gone. She was  _ alone. _ The cell already felt so much colder. 

How long would she be here before they finally interrogated her? Killed her? Did  _ anything _ with her? 

The door to the cell flew open again. Allura tensed, waiting for some brutish Galra guard to come drag her before Zarkon, as they had when she had first been captured. 

But that wasn’t what happened. Someone was thrown  _ in.  _

It took her mind a moment for her to realize who it was as he quickly scrambled up to bang on the door. “What the hell did you do to me!?” he snarled. 

“Keith!” Allura exclaimed. He was  _ alive.  _ He was  _ standing.  _ He could  _ see!  _

He froze, but didn’t turn to face her. “A-Allura?” he stammered. 

“Yes, it’s me. Are you-Are you alright?” she asked. Yes, he had been healed, but something seemed… off. 

He didn’t answer. His shoulders hunched as he seemed to press closer to the door. 

“Keith?” She stood up and slowly approached him. He flinched when she laid a hand on his back. “Are you alright?” she repeated. 

“I can see…” he muttered. 

“Yes,” she said. “The Galra have very advanced medical technology.” 

“No, Allura. You don’t understand. I can  _ see!”  _ he bit out. “There was no fixing my eyes. They were  _ destroyed.  _ Even  _ if _ they could have been fixed, I should have been at least partially blind. I can see  _ better.”  _

Allura frowned. His eyes  _ had _ been sliced into, probably infected. Thinking about it, there really  _ should _ have been no way of fixing them. “Well…” she began slowly, carefully. “Maybe Haggar did something with magic.” 

Keith took a shuddering breath. “They did something to me, Allura. And I’m sorry. I’m so  _ sorry.” _

“Keith, it isn’t your fault,” she assured him. 

“She laughed when she did it,” he said. “They woke me up when they… changed my eyes. She said she couldn’t wait to see what else was there.” 

“Show me. I can’t do anything if you don’t even let me see,” she said. 

“I’m sorry.” He turned to face her. 

Allura’s hand went to cover her mouth. “Oh… Keith…” 

He held a hand up to his eyes. “I-I-I don’t know how they did it. B-But it  _ hurt. _ And Allura, I’m so  _ sorry. _ ” 

His eyes were yellow, golden. Pure gold, with no pupil or iris. His eyes had become Galra eyes. 

“What if I’m becoming like them? What if I turn on you? What if-” 

“Hey, hey,” she interrupted gently. “You’re not them, okay? I don’t know why they did this, but you’re still  _ human.  _ You’re not Galra. Your eyes don’t make you my enemy.” 

He nodded slowly. “Okay… okay.” He slid down the wall. “I’m alive. I’m  _ alive. _ Why am I alive?” 

“Haggar wants to  _ play _ with you. Evidently she likes humans. You would have been better off dying,” she said. 

He grunted. “Great. Guess that’s why she fucked up my eyes. Can’t wait to see what she does to me next.” 

Allura sighed. There was little she could do to comfort him. “I’m so sorry, Keith. But you should try and get some rest, while you can.” 

“I’ve slept enough,” he said. 

“That wasn’t rest and you know it,” Allura argued. “Go to sleep, Keith. You’re going to need your strength.” 

Despite his protests, he soon curled up on the floor and passed out. 

* * *

Someone roughly grabbed his hair, yanking his head up. Keith awoke with a yelp, twisting, trying to escape. 

“Up,” the guard demanded, as she pulled him to his feet. 

Keith glared at her. “What do you want? Allura?” He glanced around the cell, panicked when he realized she was gone. 

“The Altean is already with the emperor. Your presence has been requested,” she said. “Let’s go, paladin.” 

“The emperor?” Keith frowned. But with little choice, he tailed after the guard. The emperor wanted to talk to him after he beat him to hell? Or was this just to officially give him over to Haggar, as Allura thought he would be? 

“He would like to extend you an offer, and that is all I’m permitted to say on the matter,” she said. “As a courtesy, you will not be cuffed, muzzled, or chained, but should you misbehave, that will change.” 

Somehow, not being restrained made him more uncomfortable than if he had been. It was like they weren’t treating him as a threat at all, which was unsettling for a number of reasons. 

He squinted at how bright the hallway was. He tried not to think about how dark Galra ships used to seem, with their eerie purple lighting. Now… now it was as bright as the castleship. He didn’t like it. It was  _ wrong _ somehow. Just so wrong. 

* * *

Allura stood before Zarkon and Haggar, head held high. She would show them no submission, despite the manacles around her wrist or the gag in her mouth. 

She couldn’t help but wonder what was going on. Were they not going to try and get information from her? Not that she would tell them anything. It wasn’t like she even could while she was gagged. 

She glared coldly at Zarkon and Haggar, but both ignored her, sitting silently, as if waiting for something. 

Then Keith was shoved into the room and her heart dropped. She had hoped he would be left alone, at least long enough to process he was going to have to be a living prisoner of the Galra before the atrocities began. 

Her eyes narrowed when she realized he wasn’t gagged, as she was. What was even more odd, his hands weren’t even tied. “Keith!” she tried to cry, but what came out was more of a muffled shriek. 

His awful golden eyes shot to her and widened. “Allura!” He turned to glare at Zarkon and Haggar. “Let her go!” he snarled as he bared his teeth. 

His guard grabbed the back of his prisoner’s uniform. 

“Red paladin,” Zarkon rumbled. “I see you have lost none of your fire.” 

A chill raced down Allura’s spine. She already didn’t like the way this was going. Keith’s free reign, Zarkon’s lack of hostility. He was going to make Keith an offer. An offer to betray the team for his freedom, power, who knew what else, if only he acted as the red paladin for the empire. 

She did not believe for a second that Keith would accept. What worried her was what would be done to him when he refused. 

Keith jerked himself free from his guard. “What do you want?” 

“I want you to be my red paladin. You held your own against me for far longer than I expected, and already have an incredibly strong connection to the red lion. There is no reason for me to kill you and try to find another paladin,” he said. 

Keith was silent, expressionless. For a horrifying second, Allura thought he might be  _ considering _ the offer. 

Then he threw back his head and laughed. “Holy hell. That’s _rich_ _ . _ You think I would betray them? After everything? For  _ you?”  _

Allura wanted to slap him. Did he not understand what a precarious situation he was in!? 

But surprisingly, Zarkon did not react. All he said was, “And what if they betrayed you?” 

_ That  _ seemed to snap Keith back to reality. “What are you talking about? They’ve never betrayed me. Why would they even  _ do _ that?” He glanced at Allura, confusion swimming in his eyes. 

Zarkon turned his attention to the princess.  _ “She _ will betray you.” 

Allura huffed indignantly.  _ I would never!  _ she tried to shout. 

“Why do you think your eyes changed?” Haggar suddenly asked. “I did not leave you to die simply because I could. I wanted to see how close your body would let itself get to death before it began to shift into a stronger form.” 

“What the fuck are you  _ talking _ about?” Keith demanded. Though his voice was strong, Allura could see his resolve fracturing as he became more and more confused. If he panicked… 

Haggar disappeared and reappeared just in front of Keith. He leaped backwards, colliding with his guard who held him firmly. The witch leaned forward and ran her hand along Keith’s jaw. He shrieked. 

“Keith!” Allura tried to run forward but her own guard held her back. 

When Haggar pulled her hand away, Allura’s eyes widened at the purple that blossomed along Keith’s jaw. “I wonder how you got all the way to Earth, half-breed.” 

* * *

_ No… NO!  _ Keith tried to back away, tried to escape from the witch’s words. He only backed into his guard again, who surprisingly did nothing. 

“I’m not…” His throat felt tight. He couldn’t breathe. He turned to Allura, needing her to assure him it was okay, that it was going to be fine, that it wasn’t  _ true.  _

He almost cried when he saw her face. The sheer anger and disgust. The tears building in her eyes. The guard removed her gag. “You’re one of  _ them?” _ she hissed. “Is that why you’re here? Was this your way back to them!?” 

“I didn’t… I didn’t know…” he tried to argue.  _ It’s not even true, _ he wanted to add. But if it wasn’t true, then why were his eyes golden? Why would Zarkon think he might have any kind of loyalty to him? 

“I don’t expect your answer today,” Zarkon said. “You will have some time to think about it.” 

Keith was so numb he didn’t snap back a retort, didn’t decline the offer. His guard tugged him along after her. 

It wasn’t the offer, or Zarkon and Haggar’s interest in him, or even the Galra blood that might very well be inside him. 

It was the way Allura looked at him. The fear, the hatred, the confusion. 

He bowed his head and let his guard lead him away. 

* * *

“You’ve had a Galra in our ranks since the beginning!” Allura shouted. “Is that why it was so easy to get the red lion away from you at the start? You  _ wanted _ him to take it, wanted him to gain our trust!” 

Zarkon said nothing, just stared at her. 

“How did you make him look human? How long have you been planning this!?” she shrieked. 

Haggar laughed. “If you continue this way, you will be the one to drive him to us.” 

“He is already yours!” she shouted. “I will  _ never  _ trust a Galra again. You can  _ have _ him! He’s not a paladin, and he does not belong anywhere else but with other monsters!” 

* * *

The guard did not take him back to his cell. She stopped just outside the throne room doors. Keith could still hear the shouting. Allura’s shouting. 

He cringed at every word that came out of her mouth. She  _ hated _ him, over something he had no control over. 

“The red lion will reject him once it finds out! By all means, have him join your ranks, but you  _ will not _ have him as a paladin. I will make sure of it. He will stay here and be killed with you!” she shouted. 

Tears built in Keith’s eyes. He didn’t know Allura that well, and she didn’t know him that well, but he had never imagined that she could turn on him this easily, over something he had no control over. 

What if the others ever found out, if they ever got out of here? If this was  _ Allura’s _ reaction, one of the calmest and most level headed of them all, what would they do? What would  _ Shiro _ do? He had been  _ tortured  _ by the Galra! 

Keith felt sick. He didn’t want to blame them for feeling this way, the Galra had done horrible things to them, especially Allura. But mostly… he felt bitter.  _ He _ hadn’t done those things to them! He didn’t even know he was Galra until about five minutes ago! 

“I didn’t know…” he whispered. “How can she say that when I didn’t even know?” 

He flinched when a hand landed on his shoulder. “I’m sorry,” the guard said, surprisingly sounding sincere. “My planet did not want me either, when they learned of my heritage.” 

“You’re half Galra?” Keith couldn’t help but ask, not even bothering to wonder why she was trying to comfort him. 

She hummed. “When they found out, my mother abandoned me, leaving me at their mercy. The soldiers there found out and saved me from being killed as a small child. I owe the empire my life.” 

He turned to face her. Looking at her, he realized that it made sense she wasn’t a full-blooded Galra. Her skin was more blue than purple, and her eyes weren’t pure yellow. “I’m sorry.” He didn’t know why he was apologizing. 

“You have nothing to be sorry for. You had nothing to do with it, and you are now the victim of very similar actions. I was not aware you were a hybrid before Haggar said so, though I suspected upon seeing your eyes. I’m sorry you had to find out that way, and I’m sorry your friend cannot see past this fact. You may be our enemy, but I would not wish my fate on anyone else,” she said. 

He felt his hands move towards his eyes, as if covering them would erase what they had revealed. “I can’t go back like this.” 

Allura’s voice continued to grate his ears. “We would  _ never _ accept one of  _ you _ as one of  _ us.”  _

“They would abandon me somewhere, or keep me prisoner, or… or kill me,” he muttered. 

“Think about the emperor’s offer,” the guard suggested. “Galra look after their own.” 

Keith didn’t even have the will to protest, to say that he would never work for the empire, not with their current ways. Instead he asked, “Can I go back to my cell? I don’t… I don’t want to hear this anymore.” 

“Come on.” She nodded her head. “Follow me.” 

Keith slowly followed her, staring at his hands, as if waiting for them to turn purple. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have quite a bit of this prewritten, so updates should be fairly quick for a while. I hope you enjoy the chapter

Allura was thrown back into her and Keith’s cell. 

He wasn’t there, even though he had left the throne room before she had. 

She frowned. He had probably gone back to wherever the soldiers stayed, him being the Galran spy that he was. 

She couldn’t  _ believe  _ that he’d been right underneath her nose this entire time. How long had he been hidden on Earth with the blue lion? Long enough for Shiro to get to know him, obviously. How had he been able to hold a human disguise for so long? Was it magic? Or some new shapeshifting technology the Galra had been able to create? Half-breeds never resembled the other half of their heritage for so long… He should have shifted ages ago.

What had his long game been? To eventually lead the Galra to them? No… that couldn’t be it, he would have done it long ago. Was it to gain the other paladins’ loyalty to him, and so that when he eventually went back to the empire, they might go with him? Was it to kill them all once they trusted him completely? 

She sighed. It wasn’t like it mattered anymore. He was back with the empire now, and should Allura ever return to the other paladins, she was going to work her damndest to make sure Keith was never trusted again if he tried to weasel his way back onto the team. Or any other Galra for that matter. When they went about finding a new red paladin, she was going to have to carefully screen their DNA. 

She slid down the wall and pressed her head against her knees. 

The cell was so much colder without someone else in it. 

* * *

Acxa watched the red paladin collapse onto his bed. He was put in a much more comfortable cell with more furnishings, but he didn’t seem to care. 

Although, with what had just happened, Acxa could barely blame him. 

She had been confused when the emperor had requested she guard a prisoner. She was too high up in the military to be performing duties as simple as being a guard. When she learned the prisoner she would be guarding was the red paladin, she decided it made more sense. He was probably a highly dangerous prisoner, after all. 

But now, she knew the  _ real _ reason. It was because they were the same, and the emperor and his witch knew that would be instrumental in turning him to their side. 

Acxa hoped she could convince the red paladin to accept the offer. Not to please the emperor, but because she truly believed he would be better off here, than back with the Altean in a cell, or even his teammates if he ever managed to escape, who would probably have the same view of him as the Altean. 

“What?” the red paladin asked. “Why are you still here? Just lock me in and go.” 

Acxa frowned, and realized she hadn’t paid enough attention to him or the conversation in the throne room to actually learn his name. “What’s your name?” 

“Keith…” he muttered slowly, suspiciously. 

“I’m Acxa. I will leave if you want me to, but you look as if you don’t truly want to be left alone,” she said. 

“I want to talk to Allura,” he said. 

Acxa frowned. “The Altean that I’m fairly certain would like to see you dead?” 

“I… yeah.” He took a shaky breath. “I have to-She has to know that I didn’t know. That I’m not a traitor. That I would never do anything to hurt her or anyone else.” 

“I don’t think she would believe you,” she said. 

“I have to  _ try,” _ he protested. 

“And when she looks into your yellow eyes? Watches the purple on your face spread to cover the rest of you? When she refuses to even listen to you when you beg and plead? If you escape and she calls for your execution even though you’ve done nothing to deserve it? What will your  _ trying  _ get you then?” She shook her head. 

“Purple?” He rubbed at his cheek, the opposite side of his face than the purple was on. 

“Yes. Purple,” she said. “I suspect the high priestess has at least some to do with your sudden shift in appearance, but Galran bodies are some of the toughest around. It takes a lot to kill us. Your current body is weak by comparison and it knows that. When you came so close to death, it allowed itself to begin changing so that you might live.” 

“But I’m fine now. So it’s not going to change anymore,” he said. 

Acxa shrugged. “I am a soldier, not a doctor or druid, so I can’t say for sure. But… once this starts with a hybrid, I’ve never seen it stop until it’s run its course, which is usually more than yellow eyes and a few splotches of purple. I’m sure you can speak to the druids about speeding up the shift to cause less discomfort though.” 

His eyes widened. “It can’t be stopped.” 

“I doubt it,” she said. 

“I’m going to… I’m going to look like you?” His voice shook. 

Acxa frowned. “I suppose so.” 

“Oh…” He sighed shakily. “Okay.” 

“Think about the offer,” she urged again, then she left him alone. 

* * *

Pidge stared at her computer screen, no idea what to do next, but not wanting to stop trying. It had been a week since Allura had been captured, and six days since their failed rescue attempt that left Keith captured as well. 

“Pidge, you should go to bed,” Shiro urged. “You’ve done all you can tonight.” 

She glared at him. “I’ll go to bed when you go to bed.” 

He sighed. “Pidge…” 

“No. I’m  _ going _ to get a location, and then we’re  _ going _ to get them back.” She went back to staring at her algorithm, trying to figure out someway to make it run even quicker and smoother. 

* * *

It had been two days since Keith had found out he was Galra. He hadn’t left his cell since then, and his only company was Acxa. 

He supposed it could be worse. Despite everything, he was beginning to like her. Despite her gruffness and cold practicality, she was… kind to him, for lack of a better word. She wasn’t anything like the Galra he had fought. 

But… he supposed he had never actually spoken to any of the Galra he had fought. How many of them had stories like Acxa’s? Like… his? How many of them were friendly or had families? 

Probably most of them, if Keith was being honest with himself. 

The purple on his face had spread, but only a minimal amount. It just barely covered the left side of his jaw and about half his cheek. But it  _ was _ spreading. 

Acxa brought in a tray of food for him. “Hello.” 

“You’re late today,” he remarked as he cracked an eye open. 

“I was speaking to the high priestess. She has decided to let you speak to the Altean princess,” she said. 

Keith was on his feet in an instant. “Allura? Right now?” 

Acxa frowned. “After you eat.” 

“I’m not hungry,” he protested. 

She held out the tray. “Yes, you are.” She forced it into his hands. “I will take you to her  _ after _ you eat.” 

Keith made a face, but took the tray from her and went to sit at the small table in the corner of the cell. 

“I still don’t think you’ll be able to change her mind. She’ll think all of it is some elaborate trick,” Acxa said. 

“I know,” Keith said. “But I have to try.” He had resigned himself to his fate. He was going to be stuck with the empire forever, whether as a prisoner or their red paladin, that much was obvious. Allura would not have him back as a Galra. 

But at least if he tried to convince her and she was still determined to brand him a traitor over something he had no control over, then he would feel less guilty about accepting what he was now. 

“And if she still refuses to believe you?” Acxa asked. 

“I don’t know.” He didn’t approve of the empire in the slightest. But he didn’t want to be a prisoner forever, or worse, somehow be turned into a mindless puppet by the witch, which he knew was a real possibility. At least if he agreed to willingly work for the empire, he’d still have one hand on the wheel, and could perhaps cause some damage on his own from the inside out. 

“I would suggest figuring it out,” she said. 

* * *

Acxa led him to the cell that he and Allura had previously shared. Keith felt a little guilty that he received better treatment than her, even though he had nothing to do with it. 

When the cell door slid open, Allura didn’t even lift her head. 

“Allura?” he tried. 

His voice got her attention. “What do you want?” she demanded coldly. “Who is she?” 

Keith tried not to let her tone get to him. He had experienced worse than this by people he had known longer when he had been in the foster system. He could handle this. “Acxa, could you… Can we talk alone?” 

Acxa eyed Allura distastefully, but obliged without protest and left them alone in the cell. Keith had no doubt that she was listening in, however. 

“Who is she to you?” Allura asked. “Your commanding officer? Subordinate? Or something more intimate? Sister? Partner?” 

“She’s my guard,” Keith said tiredly. “Because I’m a prisoner. Just like you. Because I’m  _ not loyal _ to them.” 

“Then why aren’t we in the same cell anymore?” 

Keith crossed his arms, determined not to show how upset he was. “They’re probably worried you would strangle me in my sleep.” 

She didn’t answer. 

“I know you’re probably not going to believe me, but I don’t know what else to do. I didn’t  _ know _ . I had no idea I was Galra. And even if had, I would never have betrayed you for them,” he said. 

“You were just waiting for the right opportunity,” she said. “And I will not let myself fall for your tricks again.” 

“For god’s sake, Allura! I don’t want to do this!” he snapped, losing his temper for the first time. “I don’t want to accept Zarkon’s offer but I will if I don’t have any other choice, and you’re taking away my options! Without you as an ally, I’d never get out of here. And even if I did, the team wouldn’t accept me if you didn’t! Don’t you see what you’re doing!? You’re hating me over something I can’t control!” 

“Go back to them! I don’t care! Even if you didn’t know, all your kind are the same and you will destroy us all for power just like Zarkon did! Your kind destroyed my planet and I will never forgive you!” she shrieked. 

That was all Keith needed. He could see the sincerity in her eyes. He would never change her mind. 

“Okay.” And then he left. 

* * *

“I’m sorry,” Acxa said as she walked him back to his own cell. 

“Not your fault,” he muttered, trying to hold back tears. It didn’t matter how much he had expected what had happened, it still hurt. 

“Did you mean what you said?” she asked. “Are you going to accept the offer?” 

“I guess so.” The words tasted sour. Just the  _ thought _ of pledging his loyalty to the empire made his stomach turn. But what other options did he have? None. And maybe… maybe one day he could get Zarkon to trust him enough to let his guard down, trust him enough that Keith could kill him on his own. 

Acxa smiled. “I’m glad. I’ll inform Lord Zarkon.”

Keith forced himself to smile back. 

* * *

Allura was summoned to the throne room again. She wondered what Zarkon wanted  _ this _ time. 

“What do you want?” she demanded. “Are you finally going to torture me? Kill me?” 

“The red paladin has accepted my offer. He is going to publicly pledge his allegiance to me tomorrow,” Zarkon said. “I believe I probably have you to thank for that.” 

Allura swallowed thickly. Whether Keith had always been loyal to the empire or not, it was going to be a devastating blow to rebels everywhere for a paladin to back the empire like that. 

Maybe she should have pretended to trust him for a while. At least then, he would have had to pretend to be loyal to her for a while longer, he wouldn’t have been publicly working for the empire. 

Maybe she should have thought this through. 

“He was always loyal to you,” she finally said, refusing to let her concern show. 

“I have no wish to fight with you, princess. You could pledge your loyalty as well, call the rest of your paladins to you,” he said. 

“Never,” she hissed. 

“Very well, then. I will let the druids have their way with you.” 

Allura shuddered, but she would not beg. 

* * *

Keith stared at the Galran armor he had been given. This was moving much faster than he had expected or wanted it to. 

Zarkon was going to announce to the whole universe that the red paladin had turned traitor. The empire would be thrilled, but to the rebels… it would be a crushing blow. And it wouldn’t be long before the rest of the paladins found out. They would find out without Keith being able to explain anything at all. 

Reluctantly, he began strapping on the armor. He dimly realized that it was quite similar to his paladin armor, but the color scheme had been changed from red and white to gray and purple with red accents. Bile rose in his throat. 

He wasn’t given a helmet, but Keith figured that was because Zarkon wanted to be sure that his face was seen, confirming that he wasn’t just some random Galra soldier masquerading as the red paladin. 

“It suits you,” Acxa said. “And look. You’re in my squad.” She pointed at the emblem on his gauntlets, then at her own. They matched. “I’ll have to introduce you to the rest of them.” 

“Aren’t you high up in the chain of command? Why would I be with you?” he asked. 

“I’m one of the prince’s generals, so yes, I outrank most of the military. But you are the red paladin. Did you really think you would start out as a foot soldier? That wouldn’t make sense,” she said. 

“I guess not…” Keith muttered. Though he was glad that meant he could stay with Acxa. He was beginning to like her a lot more than he thought he should. 

“After the ceremony, I’ll take you to the druids to get… that fixed.” She pointed to the purple splotch on his cheek. “It’s rather… unattractive.” 

Keith shifted uncomfortably. “You mean make me look Galra?” 

Acxa shrugged. “Not necessarily. At least not until you’re more comfortable with it. I meant as least turn the rest of your skin purple. You’d still be human except a different color.” 

“Mmm.” He crossed his arms, armor clanking. 

“But I’d recommend having them speed up your transformation soon. Not only will it be less awkward and… irritating that way, but it would likely heighten your senses and improve your reflexes and instincts. You’d be a better fighter,” she said. 

“I’ll think about it,” he finally conceded. She was right, after all. He  _ was _ going to change, might as well get it over with. 

This seemed to please Acxa. At least enough to get her to drop the topic. “Alright, come on. Wouldn’t want to be late.” 

* * *

Allura stood, chained, next to Haggar. She eyed all the generals in the room warily. Every single Galran commander she had heard of was here. This was being broadcasted across the  _ universe _ . And she knew that her being present, bound like this, was just as much of a message as Keith pledging his loyalty. 

She felt like screaming. 

When Keith entered the room, Allura’s stomach turned. His armor was eerily similar to the paladins,’ but distinctly Galran. The red bayard hung from his belt, as if he wanted to make sure everyone knew he was  _ truly _ the red paladin. 

That Galra woman followed just behind him. She leaned forward and whispered something in his ear, and Keith smiled. 

Allura frowned. She was almost positive that Keith was very close with the general. 

His golden eyes glinted as he looked at Zarkon. “I’m here to pledge my loyalty, as the red paladin of Voltron.” His eyes darted to Allura, but his face was devoid of emotion. She glared at him. 

“Kneel,” Zarkon commanded. 

Keith didn’t even hesitate. He kneeled, bowed his head, and rested his forearm against his heart. 

Haggar stepped forward. “Swear to serve the Galra empire no matter the circumstances, no matter what you are asked to do, no matter your attachments or personal goals.” 

“I swear,” Keith said. 

“Rise, paladin of the Galra empire,” Zarkon said. “Vrepit sa.” 

“Vrepit sa,” Keith repeated as he rose. 

The generals chorused the saying as well. Allura shivered. Her chains rattled. 

Keith and his “guard” left the throne room, and Allura was lead by her chains back to her cell. 

* * *

Every screen in the castle lit up with incoming transmissions. 

“Pidge!” Lance shouted. “What’s happening?” 

She raced over to her computer on the bridge. After a few minutes of typing she let out a small gasp. 

“What is it?” Hunk asked. 

“It’s from central command. Where… Where they had Allura. Where they probably still  _ have _ Allura.  _ And _ Keith,” she said. 

Ice shot down Shiro’s spine. “They wouldn’t send us a message unless they wanted to make a deal… or at least one of them is dead.”

Lance, Hunk, and Coran stiffened. 

“That’s what’s even weirder,” Pidge muttered. “It’s not  _ to _ us. Well, I mean, it is, but not just  _ us.  _ It’s to  _ everyone.”  _

The Galra empire was broadcasting to the entire universe? There was no way that could be good. “Play it,” Shiro commanded. 

Pidge hit a button and a video feed took up the screen. Shiro recognized the room as the throne room on central command. Every high ranking commander he had ever encountered was there, and then some. Zarkon sat on his throne, Haggar standing beside him, and beside Haggar- 

“Allura!” Coran exclaimed. 

Shiro frowned. She didn’t look… bad, exactly. She didn’t look sick, injured, or underfed. She didn’t look like she had been hurt at all. She just looked  _ miserable.  _ She glared at the chains wrapped around her wrists, as if her angry stare could somehow get them to melt away. 

“What’s going on?” Hunk asked.

“I don’t know,” Shiro said. “Pidge?” 

She shrugged. “There was nothing to explain what this is. Also, I’m pretty sure this is happening live.” 

“At least we know Allura is okay,” Lance said, relieved. 

“But where’s Keith?” Pidge asked worriedly. “Do you think… He was roughed up pretty bad when he was captured. What if-” 

“Keith’s fine,” Shiro interrupted. 

“But Shiro-” 

“He’s  _ fine.” _ He had to be fine. Because if he wasn’t fine, Shiro wasn’t sure what he would do. 

Another Galra soldier entered the throne room, flanked by… by… 

“Why is Keith dressed in Galra armor?” Lance asked. “Galran  _ paladin _ armor?” His voice took on a dark edge. 

Shiro’s eyes widened.  _ He’s not restrained, he’s wearing armor, he has his  _ bayard…. _ Oh god.  _ This couldn’t be right. Shiro  _ had _ to be wrong. Keith wouldn’t do this. He would  _ never  _ do this! 

Keith turned his head so that Shiro could see his face clearly, which had previously been hidden by shadows. A patch of purple was splattered across his cheek, and his eyes glowed an eerie yellow. 

“What the fuck?” Pidge squeaked. “Is that actually him? Or did the Galra… do something?” 

“I-I don’t know,” Shiro stammered.  _ This can’t be right. It  _ can’t _be._

“I’m here to pledge my loyalty, as the red paladin of Voltron,” Keith announced. 

Shiro reeled backwards as if he’d been hit. Hunk and Coran gasped. Lance glared at the screen while Pidge frowned. 

Shiro barely processed the rest of the video, but hearing the words “Vrepit sa” come out of Keith’s mouth was enough to break him. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “No, this is wrong _ . _ Something is  _ wrong.”  _

“Yeah, Keith  _ betrayed  _ us!” Lance shouted. 

“He wouldn’t do that!” Shiro argued. 

“We just watched the same thing, right?” he demanded. “And look at Allura’s face! This isn’t staged, he isn’t being forced into it! His eyes are  _ yellow!”  _

“He wouldn’t betray us,” Shiro insisted. 

“Something’s not right,” Pidge said. “Whether he did or didn’t, why  _ are _ his eyes yellow?” 

“I’d imagine it’s because he’s a halfbreed,” Coran said, his voice  _ somehow _ still managing to cling to its cheeriness. 

“I’m sorry, what?” Hunk asked. 

“He’s half Galra,” Coran repeated. “Or at least that seems to be the most likely explanation, and it would explain quite a few things about him.” 

“But Keith grew up on Earth! He’s  _ from _ Earth!” Shiro protested. 

“Well even if he is half, obviously he’s still half human so would that be so weird?” Pidge asked. “Why do you think he’s half Galra?” 

“When you first arrived, the castle scanned all of you, I took a look at them soon after to program the pods for you all. His were different from the rest of yours but I didn’t think much of it. Just thought some humans might be different than others. Besides that, many Galra hybrids look identical to their other parent’s species. Well, unless the hybrid’s body structure and DNA start to mutate, but that happens when the hybrid has been severely injured, ill, or stressed. Galra bodies are stronger than most so it’s a defense mechanism. I suspect that is what’s happening to Keith now,” Coran explained. 

Silence settled over them, leaving them to process the information. 

“Do you think he knew?” Hunk asked. 

Shiro shook his head. “No. No, he would have said something. Besides, he’s never said anything to me about… about being Galra. And I’ve known him for  _ years.”  _

“So, what? Zarkon pulled a Darth Vader but instead of freaking out Keith decided to join?” Lance asked. 

“Are you implying that Zarkon his Keith’s father?” Pidge asked. 

“No. I meant that Zarkon told Keith he was Galra and he automatically decided to join the dark side!” he said. 

“But he wouldn’t  _ do _ that!” Shiro argued. 

Lance gestured wildly to the screen. 

“It doesn’t matter if he joined up willingly or unwillingly,” Pidge said. “Either way, the Galra empire now has the red lion, and a paladin to pilot it. We need to do something, and fast.” 

“We need to get Keith and Allura out,” Hunk said. 

“Oh, because that went  _ so _ well last time!” Lance shouted. “And what if we went to go get Keith out and he actually has turned evil! What are we gonna do then? Take him anyways, hold him prisoner?” 

Shiro took a deep breath. He wanted nothing more than to go get Keith, demand answers. But he knew that wasn’t the best course of action. “Pidge is right. We can’t worry about Keith’s allegiances right now. Right now, our top priority should be getting the red lion away from the empire, because without it, Keith can’t cause as much damage. We can also find someone to temporarily pilot it while we get this whole… situation sorted out.” 

“So we’re leaving Keith and Allura there? For god knows how long?” Pidge asked. 

“I don’t like the idea of it,” Shiro said. “Actually, I  _ hate _ it. But look what happened last time we tried to rescue someone. At this rate, we could afford maybe two more rescue ops before we all end up in the exact same situation. So… yes, until we come up with a better way to go about it, they’re staying at Central Command.” 


	3. Chapter 3

Acxa took him to his new quarters. They were nicer than the ones he had back on the castle. As soon as she left, he broke down. 

_ I’m a traitor. I’m a  _ traitor! 

He would have thrown up, if he had been able to make himself eat that morning. He dry heaved a few times before collapsing onto the floor. 

“Why did I do that?” he whispered as he pressed his face against the cool floor. “Why did I  _ do _ that?” 

Sure, he’d had his reasons, but were they really good reasons? He was never going to be able to take those words back, not when the entire universe had seen it. 

And now Zarkon could command him to do things. Sure, Keith could refuse. But who knew what would happen to him if he did. Or maybe even Allura, because even though she didn’t care about him, the empire knew that he still cared about her. 

Besides that, if he ever wanted to get close enough to Zarkon to kill him, he needed to make him believe he was a hundred percent loyal to the empire, and that meant not refusing a single order. And… 

And taking on a Galran appearance. Not a single soldier would believe he truly wanted to be a part of the empire if he still insisted on keeping his human looks,  _ especially _ if he went and asked the druids for some way to slow down his shift. 

Reluctantly, Keith pushed himself off the floor and began taking his armor off. He changed into some of the Galran civilian clothes that he found in the closet. 

Then he went to find Acxa. 

* * *

“Great, so we get to babysit a new recruit,” Zethrid grumbled. 

Acxa rolled her eyes. “We’re not  _ babysitting. _ He’s the red paladin. He knows how to fight.” 

“Babysitting,” Zethrid repeated. “Making sure he doesn’t run off back to the other paladins. Or stab any of us in the back.” 

“He’s not going to do that,” Acxa said. “Trust me.” 

“Whatever you say,” Ezor sang. 

Narti patted Acxa’s hand reassuringly. She gave her a grateful smile. 

“Hey, Acxa?” Keith poked his head through the door. As soon as he noticed Ezor, Zethrid, and Narti, his eyes widened. “Never mind.” He ducked back out. 

“Wait, Keith!” she called. “You can come in.” 

Slowly he came back in. 

“This is Ezor, Zethrid, and Narti, the rest of our squad,” she said. 

“Oh. Hey.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I’m Keith.” 

“Hiya, Keith!” Ezor exclaimed. 

Keith took a small step backwards and looked down at the floor. Acxa noticed that the purple had overtaken half his face now. It was spreading faster. She supposed stress might have something to do with it. “Are you alright?” she asked. 

He shrugged. “Fine. Just… can I talk to you when you have some free time?” 

“We can talk now. Come on.” She stood up and walked towards the door. “I’ll see you guys later.” 

“Have fun!” Ezor called. 

Acxa rolled her eyes and followed Keith into the hallway. “How did you know where I was at?” 

“Asked the sentry,” he said. 

She hummed. “We’ll get you a communicator. Then you can just message me, make your life a little bit easier. What did you need?” 

Keith rubbed the back of his neck. “I want to speed my shift up.” 

Acxa frowned. While she wanted Keith to get his shift over with, for a number of reasons, it was odd that he suddenly wanted that as well. “Are you sure? You know it’s not reversible, right?” 

“I know. And yes, I’m sure,” he insisted. 

“Can I ask why?” she asked. 

Keith narrowed his eyes. “I thought you wanted me to do this.” 

She sighed. “I do. I think it will be better for you. I just don’t want you to rush into this and regret it.” 

“But it’s going to happen anyways,” he said. “Why not just have the druids speed it up? Get it over with? Besides, I’m in the Galran military now. I should at least  _ look _ Galra.” 

“I know I said the druids could speed up your transformation, but if you go to the druids, you’re probably not going to…. Really look like you anymore,” she said. 

Keith cocked his head. “What do you mean?” 

“You’re a hybrid. If you let the shift happen naturally, it’s going to take forever, and when you’re about halfway through it, you’re going to look and feel very awkward, because your body would essentially be going haywire. That’s what happened to me,” she said. 

Keith frowned. “You’re not really helping your case…” 

Acxa shook her head. “If you go to the druids and have them force it, they’re going to mess around with your DNA. You’d end up looking more like a full blooded Galra,  _ a lot _ different than how you look now. Your body structure would be completely different. It’d take you a bit to adjust. Also, it would hurt. A lot.” 

“Oh.” He was silent for a moment then lifted a hand up to his eye. “I guess that’s what happened with these, huh?” 

“Probably.” His eyes were eerily similar to a pure blood’s. Hybrids almost always retained some type of pupil. 

“I still want to do it,” he said. 

“If you’re sure.” Acxa smiled. “It honestly will be better for you. I just wanted to make sure you knew what all it would entail.” 

“Yeah.” He let out a breath. “Thanks, Acxa.” 

She hummed. 

“Can I… Can I ask you something?” 

“What?” she asked, confused. Why did he feel the need to ask if it was alright to ask something? 

“Why are you being so…. Helpful? And nice?” he asked. 

“What do you mean?” 

Keith frowned. “What do you mean, what do I mean? You’re  _ helping  _ me. Giving me advice, keeping me company, actually telling me things. Why? What’s in it for you?” 

“Why wouldn’t I help you?”

“No one helps anyone unless there’s something for them to gain from it. So what do you think you’re going to get from me?” he asked. 

Surprisingly, he didn’t sound suspicious, or even upset, just… tired. 

Acxa wasn’t known for being very trusting, but even she was shocked by how little Keith trusted anyone. True, it was to be expected considering the position he was in, but did he really think she was only being kind to him because she might get something out of it? 

“Truthfully, I feel sorry for you. Your only ally here turned against you, and you have been forced into a cause that you don’t believe in. I  _ understand _ how that might feel, so if I can do something to possibly make you feel any better, I’d like to try,” she admitted slowly, awkwardly. “And besides that,” she added hastily. “You’re in my squad, so I have to make sure you’re able to work and fight efficiently. Come on. I’ll take you to the druids.” 

* * *

Allura winced as more needles pricked at her skin. She didn’t know what the druid was doing to her, or taking from her. She didn’t even know how long she had been strapped to this table. 

The druid glided around the lab, eerily silent. So silent it was almost smothering. She couldn’t even hear the clinking of the tools they used. She wondered if they were behind it somehow, making sure that she couldn’t hear, slowly going insane. 

The door to the lab slid open. “Is the High Priestess here?” 

Allura dimly recognized the Galra woman that Keith had claimed was his guard. She narrowed her eyes. 

“Why?” the druid asked. 

“The red paladin wishes to speak with her,” she said. “About his transformation.” 

“I will go find the High Priestess. Remain here, general,” the druid said, before vanishing. 

The Galra sighed and took a few more steps into the lab. When she noticed Allura on the table, she stepped over. 

“Allura, right?” she asked, leaning over her. 

She said nothing, just glared into the woman’s yellow eyes. 

“You didn’t deserve Keith,” she said. 

At this, Allura couldn’t help but scoff. “What do you care about how I treated him? According to the rest of you, shouldn’t you be happy I treated him the way I did?  _ Drove _ him to you?” 

She bared her teeth. “I know what that rejection feels like, and no one deserves it.” 

“What are you to him?” Allura asked, determined to know why this woman was sticking her nose in things that weren’t her business. 

“Nothing. I just met him. I just thought you should know that.” She stalked to the other side of the room, and made a point of ignoring her. 

Allura rolled her eyes. She’d take the druid over being scolded by some bratty soldier any day. 

* * *

“Be honest, how much is it going to hurt?” Keith asked. 

Acxa shrugged. “Don’t know. Didn’t go through it. But from what I’ve heard, it’s going to be pure agony.” 

His shoulders drooped. “Great.” 

“Well, you are getting ready to have your entire DNA pattern completely rewritten and your body is going to tear itself apart and put itself back together again. I don’t know what you were expecting,” she said. 

Keith looked down at his hands. His pale, clawless hands. They’d only look like that for a few more minutes. 

He expected to feel dread, or apprehension, but somehow, he felt excitement and curiosity. What would he look like when this was done? How much stronger would he be? How much of a better fighter? Were those feelings his Galra half? 

“I’m going to strap you down,” a druid said. “You’re likely going to thrash around. It will keep you from hurting yourself. 

Swallowing thickly, Keith pushed himself up onto the metal table and let the druid strap him down. When he was done, Keith couldn’t so much as squirm.

“How long is this going to take?” he asked. 

“It depends on how much your body tries to resist, but it shouldn’t take too long, especially since the process has already begun,” the druid said. “The high priestess will be here in a moment.” 

“Can you not knock him out?” Acxa asked. “Do it while he’s unconscious?” 

“No. This will alter his brain chemistry. If we drug him, it won’t change in the correct ways. It could end very poorly. But… after the procedure, he will likely pass out quickly. When he wakes up, most of the pain will be gone, he’ll just be a little sore.” The druid vanished. 

Keith worried his lip, but didn’t say anything. He’d been in pain before. He could handle this. 

“At least it will be over quickly,” Acxa said. 

Keith grunted, doing his best to glance over at her. 

She stepped forward and ran a comforting hand through his hair. “I’ll be right here.” 

“Thanks, Acxa.” 

The door slid open, and Haggar glided in. 

Keith tried not to cringe when he saw the witch. While he knew she would most likely be the one to do this to him, he had hoped it wouldn’t be her. He found her even more unsettling than Zarkon. 

“Let us begin, red paladin,” she hissed. She stared at Acxa until she backed away. 

The witch placed her hands on either side of Keith’s head. They were surprisingly rough. Her index fingers pressed against his temples. A sharp, electric jolt sprang from them. He grunted, but the pain quickly vanished. 

Haggar grabbed a syringe from one of the nearby tables and jammed it into his neck. 

Keith bit his tongue to keep from crying out as the painfully hot liquid was pumped into his bloodstream. 

When the syringe was empty, Haggar tossed it back onto the table and went about sending the same shocks through different parts of his body.

_ This isn’t nearly as bad as I expected it to- _

Sharp pain shot through his chest, quickly expanding to overtake his whole body. This time, Keith couldn’t stop his scream. 

Horrible itching spread over his entire body. Deep throbbing began in his bones. He squeezed his eyes shut. 

He felt the straps holding him down fall away. Why had he been unstrapped? 

“Why did you do that!?” Acxa demanded. 

“They were too tight. They would constrict his growth,” Haggar said. “I’ve done all I need to do. You’ll need to hold him down.” 

“Keith!” He felt hands on his shoulders. “Keith, can you hear me?” 

He forced his eyes open. A blurry image of Acxa hovering over him greeted him. “Hurts,” he slurred. 

“It’ll be over soon. You’ll be okay,” Acxa assured him. 

Another explosion of pain rushed through him. This time, he screamed. 

* * *

Acxa regretted suggesting this to Keith. She should have left it alone and let his transformation run its course naturally. 

As she held him down, an act that took every bit of strength she had, she watched the horrific way his body mutated. 

Purple raced over his pale complexion. His skin bubbled and blistered at the edges of peach and purple, as if chemicals had been poured over him. 

He wretched. She quickly shoved him onto his side. Blood, gore, and what she suspected might have been chunks of organ poured from his mouth and onto the floor, along with a few of his teeth. 

Large, menacing fangs forced their way through his gums. Bloody scraps of his gums were wrapped around his new teeth. 

Pain tore through Acxa’s upper arm. She jerked backwards and stared at the claw marks trailing down her shoulder. Looking back at Keith, she saw pieces of her skin stuck beneath his newly formed claws. 

He madly tore at his face, clawing at the purple border racing across his cheek. She grabbed his hands before he managed to do any permanent damage. 

Sickening cracks and squelches filled the room. He tried to curl in on himself. She suspected that his organs and bones were beginning to shift. 

His hands molded around his claws, becoming more angled. She felt his wrists becoming thicker beneath her fingers. 

His legs jerked, clanging against the tables. They grew longer, and she noticed his hips slightly change shape, becoming slimmer, curved in a different place. 

Claws tore through his boots as his feet became wider, thicker. His toes curved. Pads formed on the bottoms of his feet. 

His shoulders cracked as they became broader, his chest following. He quickly grew into it, as his spine lengthened with an agonizing tearing and snapping sound. 

Blood ran from his ears. It splattered against her face as his ears shifted, growing pointed and angled, not unlike her own.  Darker purple stripes raced up his cheeks, with more following down his arms.  Keith howled and lurched onto his side. His pained screams took on a more dangerous edge, encroaching dangerously on becoming howls and snarls. 

Finally, he collapsed, going limp against the table with a thud. He quieted disturbingly fast. 

Acxa checked his pulse. As soon as she found one she relaxed. He had just passed out. The druid  _ had _ said that was likely. And he did look like he was finished changing. He certainly  _ looked _ like a full blooded Galra. 

Acxa sighed. She knew he claimed he wanted this, but she couldn’t help but wonder how he would react when he woke up. 


	4. Chapter 4

Insistent beeping roused Pidge from her slumber atop her keyboard. As soon as she realized it was a hailing from Central Command, she shot out of her chair. “Shiro!” she shouted. 

Shiro started awake on the couch across from her. “What?” 

“We have a message from Central Command. I haven’t opened it. I have no idea what it is,” she said. 

Shiro was up almost as quickly as she had been. “Go get Hunk. I’ll get Lance and Coran.” 

Pidge quickly scrambled to her friend’s room, wanting to watch the message as soon as possible. 

“Pidge, what could you possibly want right now?” Hunk grumbled after she woke him up. 

“We have a message from Central Command. Shiro wanted to get the rest of you before we watched it,” she said. 

“Oh.” Hunk got up. “Well, I guess we better go then. What do you think it is?” he asked as they walked down the hallway. 

Pidge grimaced. “Nothing good. At least it’s not another universe wide broadcast though. Do you know how many fucking messages I had to sort through from the alliance? It was  _ hell.”  _

When they got back to the common room, Lance, Shiro, and Coran were already there. Shiro paced back and forth. 

Pidge braced herself, and pressed the button to accept the message. 

“Greeting paladins.” Zarkon’s face appeared on the screen. 

Pidge jumped backwards, not expecting a live message. 

“What do you want?” Shiro asked, voice cool, somehow not phased by _Emperor Zarkon_ contacting them directly. 

“I am willing to make a deal with you,” he said. 

“Why would we  _ ever _ make a deal with you?” Lance demanded, leaning forward. 

“Lance,” Shiro hissed quietly, clearly indicating that he should back off. 

“Considering the great lengths you went to, albeit stupid lengths, to retrieve your princess, I thought you might be willing to trade something for her,” he said. 

Shiro went rigid. “What about the red paladin?” 

Zarkon hummed. “I think I’ll be keeping him.” 

Shiro looked as if he had something to say about that, but Coran quickly interrupted. “What do you want for Allura?” 

Zarkon smiled. It was an unsettling thing. “The black lion.” 

“Absolutely n-” Pidge began. 

“We’ll think about it,” Shiro interrupted. “But I want to speak with them first. Allura and Keith.” 

Pidge gaped. He wasn’t  _ seriously _ going to consider handing over the black lion, was he? Even  _ if _ they gave over the lion, there was no guarantee that Zarkon would even follow through on his end. 

Zarkon chuckled. “I’m afraid that both the princess and the red paladin are… indisposed at the moment.” 

“What have you done to them?” Shiro demanded. 

Rather than replying, the footage shifted to what looked like security footage from a lab. A druid floated around, pressing buttons on machines, adjusting different tools. But Pidge was most focused on _Allura. _

She was strapped down to a table, squirming and panting through gritted teeth. Sweat beaded on her forehead. Needles stuck out of her arms, chest, legs, even her  _ face. _ Some drew out blood and god knew what else, while others seemed to be pumping something else  _ in.  _ Pidge had no idea what it was. 

“Allura!” Coran gasped, even though she obviously wasn’t able to hear them. 

“What are they  _ doing _ to her?” Lance asked, voice horrified. 

“They… gave her to the druids. To be  _ experimented  _ on.” Shiro clenched his fists. 

“But what about Keith?” Pidge muttered. “Why can’t we talk to him?” 

As if on cue, the video cut again, to what looked like a medical facility. 

Loud, anguished screams tore into Pidge’s ears. She winced and leaned away from the screen. It took everything in her not to cover her ears. 

“Oh god,” Shiro nearly choked. 

Keith was being held down by a Galra. He howled and thrashed. He retched and vomited blood all over the floor. Disgusting cracking, squishing, and tearing followed as his body twisted into something else. Purple raced over his skin as his bones took on new shapes. 

Hunk darted from the room, probably to go throw up. 

“Turn it off,” Lance whispered, face pale. “Please.” 

Pidge snapped herself out of her stupor and her fingers flew over the keys, cutting off the video feed. “What are they  _ doing _ to him?” she hissed. 

“Forget what I said the other night. We’re getting them out. Both of them,” Shiro said. “I’m not leaving them there to suffer like that.” 

“You can’t give him the black lion,” Coran said. “As much as I want Allura back, you  _ can’t _ do that.” 

“I know,” Shiro forced out. “But we’re going to have to come up with something.” 

Pidge hummed thoughtfully. “No idea what we’re going to do with Keith though.” 

“What do you mean?” Lance asked. 

“Well last time we talked about this you brought it up yourself. If he really has switched sides, it won’t exactly be a  _ rescue _ mission. It would be a kidnapping. And then we’d have a prisoner we wouldn’t really know what to do with,” she said. 

“Pidge!” Shiro exclaimed. “You want to leave him there?” 

She shook her head. “No. I’m just thinking analytically. It’s a possibility. And after seeing that, I think he may have actually switched sides.” 

“That makes no sense!” Lance protested. “Why would they torture him if he was really on their side?” 

“But they weren’t torturing him!” she pointed out. “Sure, it looked like hell, but it wasn’t actual torture. They were giving him a Galran form. And he wasn’t even tied down or anything and only one other soldier was there with him. I’m thinking it was willing. Also, if they can manipulate his body composition like that, who’s to say they can’t do the same to his mind?” 

“Well when you put it that way,” Lance muttered. 

Shiro merely shook his head, saying nothing. 

Pidge laid a hand on his shoulder. “Shiro, I know you want to get him back, and I think we should do everything we can to do that, but I’m just trying to warn you, he’s probably not going to be the same Keith that you knew.” 

* * *

Someone carded fingers through his hair. It was so relaxing that Keith didn’t want to open his eyes, let them think he was asleep for a while longer. 

“I know you’re awake, Keith,” Acxa said. “I sensed your breathing change.” 

He groaned. 

“Come on.” She nudged at him. “You should get up. How do you feel?” 

As soon as she mentioned it, he noticed the soreness in his muscles and bones. “Not too bad,” he muttered. “Just sore.” Slowly he pushed himself up. “How long was I out?” 

“A couple hours, not too long,” she said. “I moved you to your room.” 

He forced his eyes open and looked down at his hand. 

While he knew it was his hand, his brain didn’t register it as  _ his _ for a moment. It was larger, and shaped a little different. Purple skin.... that was going to take some getting used to. His fingers tapered off into large, sharp claws. He flexed his fingers, causing the claws to get longer, before relaxing and letting them slide back into his fingers. He’d never realized that Galran claws were halfway retractable before now. 

“You okay?” Acxa asked. 

Keith shook his head. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. How do I look?” 

“In my opinion, a lot better. But I’m probably just more used to Galras than humans. You should look in a mirror though. You’re almost unrecognizable, if I’m being honest,” she said. 

Keith hummed. Maybe this would be even more beneficial than he had thought. Besides the fact that it would help convince the empire he was loyal, if he didn’t even look like himself anymore, maybe the rest of the universe wouldn’t believe the original red paladin had turned traitor. Maybe they would think the empire killed him and replaced him with one of their own. He’d be turned into a martyr, which was far more preferable than a traitor. 

Although, if they somehow won this war and were able to go back to Earth, he wouldn’t be able to just go back. He’d have to stay in space, or stay in hiding if he went to Earth. 

He shook his head. It didn’t matter. At this rate, he wasn’t ever going to have the option anyways. 

“Yeah, guess I should,” he said. As soon as he stood up, he stumbled. 

Acxa quickly caught him, and he realized that he was almost a foot taller than her now. “Fuck,” he swore. 

“Yeah, it’s gonna take you a bit to figure out how to walk again,” she said. 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” he complained. But as he looked down at his legs, he immediately understood why. His feet were shaped completely different, and his legs and hips had changed, taking on more… animal-like qualities. His knees were a little higher, hips slimmer. And the sudden added height certainly didn’t help his sense of balance. 

“I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon,” she assured him. “Your instincts will kick in and that will help.” 

Keith nudged her away so he could stand on his own. He was a little shaky, but he could manage. 

“Stop being an idiot, and just let me help you,” she said. She grabbed his arm and wrapped it around her shoulders. “We should probably get you something to eat. That had to have burned a lot of calories.” 

“Yeah, I guess.” He tightened his grip on her shoulder. 

Acxa winced. 

“Acxa? What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing,” she said hastily. “I’m fine.” 

He leaned down to sniff at her, for some reason he didn’t really understand, and he smelled blood. “No you’re not. Where are you bleeding?” 

“Keith, I’m  _ fine. _ It’s just a scratch,” she insisted. 

He rolled up her sleeve before she could protest. His eyes widened at the claw marks running down her shoulder. Why hadn’t they been bandaged? 

“What happened? Who did this?” His hand hovered over the claw marks, not sure of what to do. 

“It was an accident. I told you, it’s fine.” She pulled her sleeve back down. 

“Wait… Did  _ I _ do that?” he demanded. 

She sighed. “It’s not like you meant to, and I have endured far worse, so drop it.” 

A distressed noise left Keith’s mouth as he nosed at her shoulder. How could he have done that? 

Acxa shoved his face away. “It’s fine.  _ Stop.”  _

“But I  _ hurt _ you!” he continued to protest. “I-I-I need to do something! I… let me… I’m so sorry!” 

“Keith, Keith, hey.” She sat him back down. “I know this is strange, but you need to get a hold of yourself.” 

He looked up at her, eyes wide. “What the fuck is wrong with me? Why…” He clutched his head. Realistically, he knew that he was out of it when he hurt Acxa, and that it was a really mild injury and would be gone in a few days, so why was he freaking out about this? 

“So… I’m guessing that humans… are a bit different from Galra. You’re going to… react to things a bit differently now. It’ll take some getting used to, but I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it eventually,” she said. “Just take a breath. Calm down. Don’t let your instincts take over right now.” 

He did as he was told, and took a deep breath, trying to distract himself, but the scent of blood still assaulted his senses. Why did it smell so _strong?_ Why did _everything_ smell so strong? 

Acxa frowned. “Okay, obviously this isn’t working, so maybe you should indulge this.” She rolled her sleeve up again and sat next to him. “I think I know what you want to do, but I’m going to let you figure it out.” 

“What do you mean?” 

She didn’t answer, just stared at him. 

With her closer, the scent of blood intensified, and his feelings of guilt increased. Before he even realized what he was doing, he leaned down and scraped his tongue over the wounds, cleaning the blood away. 

Acxa tensed, but let him. 

The blood was mostly dry, and tasted slightly different than human blood, but Keith paid little attention to it. 

Finally, he stopped, realized what he was _doing... _“What the fuck!?” He leaped away from her. “Why did I-” 

“Keith!” Acxa grabbed his shoulders, steadying him. “It’s okay. You’re okay. Like I said, Galra aren’t the same as humans, but you’re fine. It will just take some getting used to. That was completely normal.” 

His eyebrows knitted together. “It is?” Even  _ he _ could hear the disbelief in his voice. 

“Well… yes, and no. It’s normal for Galra to be protective of one another in ways like that, and the urge to clean wounds is an old instinct that's never really disappeared. However, it generally only applies to Galra that are very… close to one another,” she said. 

“Oh.” He ducked his head.  _ “Oh. _ I’m sorry if I-I didn’t mean to-I-” 

She sighed. “It’s okay. I imagine that your brain chemistry and hormones are all over the place right now. It probably just made you more emotional. And I didn’t mind that much. Zethrid was the same way when she changed.” 

“Okay.” He stared at the floor. 

Acxa frowned. “Meet me in the dining hall later.” Then she left. 

Keith groaned and flopped back onto the bed. That was one of the most awkward situations of his life. He didn’t know if Acxa meant what he had done was for family and close friends, or romantic partners, but either way, he’d obviously made her uncomfortable. 

Reluctantly he got back up. He still needed to look in a mirror. And Acxa was right. He  _ was _ starving. 

He made his way to the mirror, grateful that each step was easier than the last. He was getting the hang of this much faster than he thought he would. At least he wouldn’t be stumbling around for long. 

When he got to the mirror, he understood what Acxa had meant. He did look  _ very _ different. 

He supposed he was still recognizable, but only to those who knew him well. If someone had only seen him once or twice, or from afar, they would never suspect he was the same person. 

Obviously his skin had turned purple. His ears were similar to a Acxa's, pointed, a little larger. They flicked towards different sounds, and if he concentrated, he could get them to move himself. Darker stripes of purple crawled up his cheeks, and his arms. His face shape was pretty much the same, thankfully. He had no idea how much he'd have to adjust if even _that_ changed. Although.... He bared his teeth. 

He could do without all the fangs.

He sighed and took a step back. Hecould never hope that the paladins wouldn’t recognize him. It might take them a moment, but they would figure it out. However, it was unlikely any rebel fighters or alliance members would recognize him should they ever come across him. 

If his former team was smart, they’d claim he was dead and that a Galra imposter had taken over the red lion. 

He hung his head. Given the circumstances, he didn’t necessarily regret his choice, but now there was no way out. 

He was Galra now, and there was no going back. 

* * *

“Why do you smell like the new guy?” Ezor asked, her face barely an inch from Acxa’s. 

Acxa shook her head and blinked, so lost in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed Ezor practically sitting in her lap. 

“I don’t,” she said stiffly. 

“Acxa, I can smell it from over here,” Zethrid said. 

She frowned. She had hoped that the intimate contact had been so brief that the scent wouldn’t linger, but she supposed she wasn’t that lucky. “Nothing happened.”    


Ezor raised an eyebrow. “Nothing? Nothing at all?” 

Narti nudged Acxa, obviously not believing her, and wanting to know what happened. 

She sighed. “He was just confused, and didn’t know the implications of what he was doing.” 

“But you still let him,” Ezor pointed out. “What did he even do? He must have been _really_ close. ” 

Acxa scoffed. "He wasn't _that_ close." 

“Then what did he do?” Zethrid asked. “It’s pretty strong.” 

“He cleaned my wounds,” she muttered, hoping they would leave it alone. 

“What was that?” Ezor asked, having backed away to sit in Zethrid’s lap now. 

“He cleaned my wounds,” she gritted out. 

“He  _ what?”  _ Zethrid demanded. 

Narti bumped her shoulder, clearly concerned, but more curious. 

“That’s barely a step down from deciding to court you!” Zethrid continued. “And you know others are going to smell it!  _ Lotor _ is going to smell it, so is the Emperor. What do you think they’re going to do when they learn you’ve become that close with him?” 

“I’m  _ not _ that close with him,” she protested. “He was confused, and overwhelmed, so I let it happen so he would calm down. He  _ didn’t know _ the implications of what he was doing. Besides, even if we  _ were _ that close, Zarkon would do nothing, because it would be another way to keep him with the Empire, and Lotor wouldn’t do anything because then it would be easier to sway the paladin to his side.” 

Zethrid growled, but said nothing else. Ezor frowned, clearly not convinced by her words. “This is going to bite you in the ass, Acxa,” she said. “You shouldn’t have let him do it. Even if one of us cleaned them for you, it wouldn’t completely cover it up.” 

Narti nudged her and squeezed her hand.

“Only partners clean wounds like that. At least, I’m assuming he used his tongue to get you to smell that much like him,” Zethrid said. 

“Oh don’t start that!” Acxa snarled in irritation. 

“You know I’m right!” she argued. “Why would he have felt the need to do that if he didn't care for you that way? _I've_ definitely never wanted to run my tongue all over you! You should at least consider the possibility.” 

She bared her teeth. “He _doesn't._ I would know. Besides, he obviously doesn’t know a single thing about Galran courting etiquette. Like I said before, he had no idea of the implications of what he was doing. So let it go.” 

Zethrid huffed. “Whatever. But he doesn’t deserve you, and I want you, and him, to know that.” 

Acxa snarled. She was nothing more than the red paladin’s commanding officer and ally, and that was the end of it. 

* * *

Keith was just heading to the dining hall when a soldier ran up to him. “Red paladin, Emperor Zarkon requests your presence.” 

Keith froze, then nodded, following after the soldier. 

Zarkon couldn’t possibly already have a mission for him, could he? He’d want him to prove his loyalty in smaller ways first, right? He wasn’t going to send him to terrorize a planet, kill and enslave innocents yet. He just couldn’t. 

Keith wasn’t ready. 

At least he’d learned how to walk again so he wasn’t stumbling around Central Command. He had no doubt that there were Galra ready to skin him alive the moment he showed any form of weakness. The Emperor’s favor and Acxa’s companionship would only get him so far in a place like this. 

When he arrived in the throne room, he forced himself to bow before the Emperor. “How may I be of service, Emperor?” 

“A trade has been arranged with the remaining paladins. The Altean princess for the Black Lion. I want you at the trade off,” he said. 

Keith clenched his fists, but didn’t allow any other emotion to show. “Vrepit sa.” The paladins were really going to trade the black lion for Allura? That was the most idiotic thing he had ever heard. 

A small, bitter, jealous part of him wondered why they wouldn’t do that for him, but he brushed it aside. He wasn’t as important as a lion. Even if they were willing to do such a thing, he didn’t want them to. 

Keith turned to go, but Zarkon spoke again. 

“Your true form suits you,” he said. 

Keith thought for a second, unsure of how to respond. “It is much more… comfortable than my previous body,” he finally admitted. 

“Good. We will leave tomorrow. Commander Acxa and High Priestess Haggar will be coming with us,” he said. 

Keith nodded. 

“You’re dismissed.” 

Keith tried not to make his exit look like a retreat. 

* * *

He was going to see the paladins again. He was going to see them as their enemy. He might have to  _ fight _ them.

Who was he kidding? He  _ was _ going to fight them. There was no way this trade was going to go over smoothly. At least one side was going to try and double cross the other. Actually, both probably were.

A knock on his door snapped him out of his thoughts. 

With a groan, he got up to open it. Acxa stood on the other side, arms crossed. “You didn’t meet me to eat.” 

Keith went rigid. “Sorry, I… forgot.” 

“Forgot?” she drawled. 

“Zarkon wanted me to meet with him,” he said. “He wants me with him when he… faces the other paladins.” 

“Oh.” She frowned, shoving her way past him. 

_ Okay…  _ Obviously he hadn’t made her  _ that _ uncomfortable earlier. “You’re coming, too, evidently.” 

She hummed. “I know. You’re going to fight your former team.” 

He began to worry his lip, before wincing when his fangs cut into it. “I suppose so.” 

“And you think you can handle that?” she asked. 

He sighed. “It’s not like I have much of a choice. Besides.” An angry growl forced its way out of his throat. “They left me here, not trying at all to get me or make a deal for me. They’d turn on me as easily as Allura. What would I get for protecting them?” He laughed bitterly. 

He hadn’t even realized he felt that way until the words were out of his mouth. 

“The human race has never done jackshit for me, even when they thought I was one of them. I thought the paladins cared about me, or at least felt like they needed me to do something, but they didn’t even  _ try _ to get me back! They’re trading the fucking black lion for Allura and she’s not even a  _ paladin! _ ” He snarled and paced back and forth, itching to tear his claws into something. 

“Perhaps fighting them will do you some good. Then you may be able to truly leave them behind,” she said. “Break free of their hold.” 

Keith froze. Did he really want that? Did he want to become so Galra that he cut off the paladins forever? Make sure he never went back to them even after he revealed he wasn’t truly with the Empire? 

He shook his head. Whatever. It didn’t matter. 

“Maybe it will.” 

* * *

“Do you think he’ll be there?” Shiro asked quietly. 

Pidge looked up from her computer. “I feel it’s likely.” Lying would do Shiro no good. “Whether as another bargaining chip, or as a blow to morale if he’s really a traitor, if Zarkon’s smart, and he is, Keith will be there.” 

He sighed. “Maybe he’ll help us fight.” 

Pidge bit her lip. “Maybe.”  _ Probably not.  _ As close as she had gotten with Keith, and as much as she wanted him to still be on their side, the more thought she put into it, the more likely it seemed that Keith was really with the Empire. 

Guess she would know for sure tomorrow. 

They had agreed to Zarkon’s terms, but the  _ last _ thing they were going to do was hand over the black lion. And they  _ would _ be leaving with Allura. 

“I wish we knew what was going on,” he said. “I wish we could just  _ talk _ to him.” 

“We’ll get it figured out tomorrow,” she said. 

_ One way or another.  _

* * *

Acxa couldn’t help but stare at Keith when he arrived in the hangar. He wore the same armor he had when he had pledged allegiance to the Empire, but it suited him far better now that he had a Galran form. His bayard, along with a second sword, hung from his belt. The insignia of their squad had been carved into the armor’s chestplate. 

“Ready?” she asked. He had spent most of the night stewing in anger and bitterness, not that she could blame him, and she’d done her best to show she understood, but she hoped that his emotions did not get in the way today. The Emperor would not be pleased. 

He nodded. “Yeah.” His claws flexed. “I’m fine.” 


	5. Chapter 5

It took every bit of Keith’s control to keep from pacing back and forth as he waited for the paladins to arrive on the deserted planet the trade would take place on. 

He stood stiffly, hand on the second sword he had taken from the armory. He wasn’t sure why he had taken it. Perhaps he wasn’t confident that his bayard would actually work for him given his recent decisions. 

He stood on Zarkon’s left. The emperor hadn’t said a word to him the entire morning, not that Keith wanted to hold a conversation with him. Haggar was on his right, and Acxa was on Keith’s left. 

Allura stood shackled and chained a few feet in front of them. Occasionally, she turned to glare at them. Keith tried not to let it get to him. 

Finally the black lion appeared in the sky, quickly touching down on the planet. 

And the four paladins stepped out. 

* * *

At first, Shiro thought that Keith wasn’t there. The red lion was nowhere to be found (unfortunate, as they had been hoping to steal that back as well, given the opportunity), and there was no human. Just a line of four Galra and the princess. 

Then he recognized the Galran paladin armor, and remembered what had been done to Keith, even if he hadn’t seen the end result. 

Shiro felt  _ sick _ as he stared at his little brother. He didn’t even  _ look _ like his little brother anymore. His facial features were  _ just _ similar enough to prove that this was Keith, but any likeness ended there. 

Keith glared at them with cold eyes, fangs bared, clawed hand on the hilt of a sword. 

Shiro’s heart fractured. 

Keith was  _ definitely _ not a bargaining chip. 

It took every bit of Shiro’s control not to run to his little brother, demand explanations, plead with him, snap him out of whatever control the witch  _ must _ have over him. 

Keith wouldn’t turn on him, not of his own volition. Haggar  _ must _ have weaseled into his mind somehow. 

Aside from Keith, there was Zarkon, Haggar, and a Galran general. That meant it was likely to be a four on four fight, against four very powerful and very capable opponents. Even  _ if _ they managed to get Allura free and she was well enough to fight, it was going to be a very difficult battle. 

They weren’t going to get out of this easily, or without any losses. 

“Send the princess over!” Shiro shouted across the expanse of land. 

Zarkon laughed. “You will be giving me the black lion before your Altean is allowed anywhere near you.” 

Shiro frowned. He had been expecting that, but it was worth the try. 

Time for plan B. 

* * *

Keith wasn’t entirely sure how the fight had even started. All he knew was that shots had suddenly started raining down from the sky (Coran, probably), and that Shiro had shouted, “Get Allura free!” Then he had charged Keith. 

Acxa rushed for the princess, desperate to keep her away from the paladins. She quickly found herself engaged with Pidge, while Haggar attacked Lance and Hunk. 

Zarkon… wasn’t doing anything? He merely stepped back, watching the conflict unfold. 

Keith didn’t have time to focus on it. He drew his sword and faced Shiro. 

He didn’t want to fight his brother, but what choice did he have? Zarkon would have his hide if he didn’t, and the damage from his betrayal had already taken root. They would never want him back now. 

And he could no longer ignore the anger and bitterness that he had finally faced last night. 

Shiro held his hands up, clearly not wanting to fight Keith either. “Keith, I don’t know what they did to you, but we can fix it. We can get you back to normal.” 

He almost laughed. Did Shiro really think he was somehow still human? That he would let himself be  _ controlled _ this thoroughly? “You don’t know what you’re talking about, Shiro.” He took a slow, deliberate step forward, settling into a fighting stance. He extended his sword. “Get on with this, or leave the black lion and run.” 

“Keith-” 

He couldn’t take it anymore, Shiro’s soft voice and worried eyes. “You left me!” he roared, swinging his sword towards him. 

Shiro just barely dodged the blow. 

“You’ll give everything up for  _ Allura, _ but I’m  _ nothing!”  _ He slashed his claws and they scraped down Shiro’s chest plate, leaving deep gouges in the material. 

“Shiro, you can’t reason with him!” Allura shouted. “He’s a traitor and a monster!” She yelped as she just barely managed to roll away from one of Acxa’s kicks. 

Shiro ignored her. “Keith, we wanted to, I  _ swear, _ but-” 

He snarled, bringing his sword down again. 

“I don’t want to fight you!” Shiro shouted, desperation causing his voice to crack. 

Keith ignored him, slashing and slashing, and finally,  _ finally _ Shiro hit him back. The punch sent him reeling. Pain burst across his face and blood trickled into his mouth. He licked it away. 

A slow, dark laugh escaped him. Soon he was cackling, head thrown back and shoulders shaking. Shiro took a fearful step backwards. “What…  _ happened _ to you, Keith?” 

Keith hadn’t tested his new body yet. He’d expected it to be faster, stronger, tougher, and he wasn’t being disappointed. Shiro’s hit had barely affected him! “Aggressive, bad temper, vicious, dangerous,” he muttered. “That’s what they always said about me. Humans don’t like those things. But Galra…” He smirked. “I’m finally somewhere that doesn't want to change me.” 

He wasn’t sure where the words came from, he wasn’t sure why he said them, but they were  _ true. _ Acxa had accepted him quicker than  _ any _ human ever had, even Shiro. 

Shiro’s eyes widened, before they turned cold. “I don’t know what they did to you, but you’re  _ not _ Keith.” 

“I am. I just finally stop letting people tame me,” he growled. He swung his sword. Shiro caught it with his prosthetic arm and used the momentum to swing Keith through the air. He collided into the ground with a grunt. 

“I never wanted to tame you, Keith!” Shiro said. “I wanted you to be safe, and happy!” He grabbed Keith’s fallen sword and pinned him before he managed to get back up. 

Keith desperately snapped his teeth at him. He wouldn’t let himself be captured! Especially not with Allura back on the castle. He would be executed! Especially with the bullshit he had just pulled. 

Tears pooled in Shiro’s eyes. “You joined willingly, didn’t you?” 

“What options did you give me?” he asked in reply. 

Shiro choked back a sob. “I don’t understand. Even with the option, you won’t join us again?” 

He laughed again. “As if you would have me after this?” 

“Just do it, Shiro!” Allura shouted. She was finally free of her chains, Pidge having wrestled them off. “End him! The universe will be better off!” 

Acxa glanced in his direction. Her expression grew horrified at his compromising position. Pinned, sword hovering over his heart. “ _ Keith!”  _ she screamed. 

In her moment of hesitation, Pidge managed to wrap her bayard around Acxa, and delivered a powerful shock. 

She screeched, body convulsing, before collapsing. 

A sound so feral it caused Shiro to reel backwards tore out of Keith’s throat. Something deep in Keith’s chest churned and roiled, begging to be let out. 

They had  _ hurt _ Acxa.  _ His _ Acxa. 

He slashed his claws across Shiro’s face, breaking free of his hold. 

He ran for her. 

* * *

Shiro held a shaking hand to his cheek, his blood sticking to his fingers. 

When that Galran woman had screamed, the look in Keith’s eyes… 

Shiro broke himself out of his stupor and ran after him. Pidge would not be able to handle fighting him. There was no way she’d be able to hold her own. 

Keith leapt at her. His sword had been abandoned. He forced her to the ground. His claws dug into her armor, and if Pidge’s wince was anything to go by, they’d completely broke through. 

He wasn’t even  _ speaking _ now. His teeth were bared in a horrifying snarl. Thick strands of saliva dripped onto her face. 

He had become something akin to an animal. 

“Keith, Keith, please… please come back to us,” Pidge whispered. She stared up at him with big, brown eyes. 

He lunged. 

_ “NO!”  _ Allura screamed as she barreled into Keith, tearing him away from Pidge just before he locked his jaws around her throat. 

A scream from Lance distracted Shiro. Haggar had landed a hit. 

Honestly, Shiro was just surprised it had taken her this long. 

They needed to get out of here. The moment Zarkon joined the fight, they were finished. 

“Go!” he shouted. “Get back to the Lions! Coran, cover our retreat,” he said into the coms. 

“But Keith-” Pidge protested as she forced herself up. 

Allura and Keith rolled, screaming and punching and clawing. Finally, Allura managed to shove him away. He landed next to the fallen Galran woman, and that seemed enough to distract him. 

“We have to leave him,” Shiro said. 

“But-” 

“We don’t have a choice, Pidge!” he shouted, voice cracking. He grabbed her and dragged her towards the black lion, Allura quickly following. 

He looked back at his brother one last time, and finally let the tears fall as he ran. 

* * *

Zarkon smiled as the black lion retreated. Haggar appeared next to him in a puff of smoke. “Were you able to plant your magic in one of the paladins?” he asked. 

“Yes, sire. The blue one. I suspect he will be well on his way to us within the movement,” she said. 

“And the princess?” 

“The experiments went well. They should be taking affect soon.” The witch was silent for a moment. She turned her attention to the red paladin and the general. “It seems your suspicions were correct.” 

Zarkon chuckled. “You sound surprised.” 

“The bond is uncommon.  _ Especially _ among half breeds,” she said as explanation. “You think we’ll be able to use it?” 

“I have no doubt.” 

The red paladin nosed at the general’s cheek, obviously still overcome by panic and age old instincts. “Acxa?” he breathed. “ _ Acxa?” _ He whined, becoming more frantic. 

Finally, she stirred, and he visibly relaxed. His stance became looser, and the frightened gleam in his eyes subsided. His growls silenced. 

“Acxa?” He pulled her into his lap as she started to blink awake. 

Zarkon shook his head. It was almost too easy. 

* * *

Pidge stared numbly at her hands. She felt blood soaking into her under armor. She should go get cleaned up. But she  _ couldn’t. _

All she could do was feel Keith’s claws gouging into her shoulders and chest as he held her down. Feel the hot, thick saliva dripping onto her cheeks. See his cold, dead eyes glaring down at her as his jaws were seconds away from locking around her throat-

“Pidge!” 

She shook her head. “Y-Yes, Allura?” 

Somehow, Allura was the only one who seemed able to function. 

“How badly are you injured? Do you need a pod?” she asked. 

“I’m fine. We should be worrying about you. Are  _ you _ okay? What happened in there?” she asked. 

Allura sighed. “I will explain everything once we get back to the castle, that way Shiro and Coran may hear. We… have much to discuss. But you must tell me, are any of you gravely injured?” 

Pidge ran her fingers along the gouges in her armor. “Just some scratches. I’ll be fine.” 

“Galran claws?” she asked. 

“Yeah… Keith’s…” she muttered. 

Lance and Hunk tensed next to her. 

“You’ll need a pod. Galran claws can cause all kinds of infections. Better be on the safe side,” she said. Her eyes hardened. “Even half breeds.” 

“Is he… Is Keith really a traitor?” Hunk asked. 

Allura clenched her fists. “Yes,” she hissed. But her fury soon faded and she took a shaky breath. “Lance, Hunk, were either of you injured?” 

“No, I’m fine,” Hunk said. “I got a couple hits, but nothing too bad.” 

Lance didn’t answer. He stared at the floor, eyes unfocused. 

“Lance?” Allura repeated. 

He snapped out of it. “I’m fine. Nothing too serious. Just a couple scrapes and bruises.” 

Pidge gave him a look. Hadn’t Haggar landed a hit on him? But she brushed the thought away. Lance wasn’t the type to downplay his injuries. If it had been Shiro or… or Keith, she might have pressed, but she decided to let it go. 

The black lion finally landed back at the castle, and they all trudged out to discuss their options. 

They’d gotten the princess back without losing the black lion. Realistically, they should be celebrating. 

But it still felt like a loss. 

* * *

Acxa felt like she had been fried. Every part of her body ached and burned, her muscles stiff. A weary groan escaped her lips. 

“Well, well, well, look who’s finally awake,” someone said. 

Acxa froze, eyes snapping open. 

Prince Lotor stood over her. 

“Is there something you need, sir?” She forced herself up to face her superior. 

“Are you aware of my father’s plans regarding the paladins?” he asked. 

Acxa frowned. “I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean, sir.”

He hummed. “Unfortunate.” He turned to leave, but before he did, he offered her a wry smirk. “Oh, and Acxa, dear. I’d be a lot more discreet about the intimacy of your and the red paladin’s relationship.”

She tensed. 

“You  _ reek _ of him.” 

* * *

Shiro sat at the dining room table, head in his hands, waiting for the rest of the team to trickle in to… discuss things. 

He didn’t know what to do. Keith was a traitor. His little brother was a  _ traitor.  _ Keith had fought against them. Keith had almost _killed_ Pidge. 

Was Keith really even Keith anymore? What could have possibly happened in the short time span that he had been captured to change him so thoroughly? 

Even if the witch had done nothing to his mind, clearly, something  _ had  _ changed. 

What made it even worse was that Keith could have come  _ back. _ He could have run with them and escaped. Nothing forced him to stay with the empire during that fight. 

But he hadn’t come back to them. 

Tears rolled down his cheeks and he quickly wiped them away. The last thing his team needed was for him to break down. There was far too much going on, far too many things to deal with. 

“Shiro?” 

He looked up, wondering how he had missed Pidge coming in. She wasn’t wearing a shirt, her chest and shoulders wrapped in bandages. “Why aren’t you in a healing pod?” he asked. She obviously needed it. She looked  _ terrible.  _

“I’ll get in one after we have our meeting. I’m not missing it, and we shouldn’t wait to talk about things like this,” she said. "Besides, it's not like you've done anything about those scratches on your face."

He sighed. “You’re right. Is everyone else on their way?” 

She nodded. “They’re just changing out of their armor and Allura’s getting cleaned up and a quick meal.” She pulled out a chair and sat next to him. “How are you holding up?” 

He didn’t answer. 

“That bad, huh? Yeah, I feel about the same way,” she said, and they lapsed into silence. 

Eventually, everyone else shuffled into the dining room. Normally they had meetings on the bridge, but for some reason, Shiro didn’t want to act as if this was some formal meeting. Maybe because that would make it seem more  _ real. _

“Allura… what happened in there?” Pidge asked. 

“I spent most of my time in a cell, left alone. I was experimented on once, but as far as I can tell, there have been no lasting effects. Of course, I will have Coran examine me much more thoroughly later to be sure, but I feel they just wanted to learn more about Alteans, rather than actually do anything to me.” She shrugged and shook her head, as if it wasn’t a big deal. 

“Zarkon sent us some footage of… that,” Pidge said. “It didn’t look pleasant.” 

A shaky breath escaped Allura. “I’m sure I will experience far worse by the end of this.” 

Shiro bit his lip. As relieved as he was that Allura was okay, this  _ was not _ what he wanted to be talking about, and everyone in the room knew it.  “What happened to Keith?” he asked. 

Allura tensed and an ugly snarl formed on her face. “He  _ betrayed _ us.” 

“I need to know  _ why, _ Allura. He’s my little brother, and I need to understand what happened to him,” he growled back. He wasn’t going to let her avoid the subject. 

“Zarkon nearly killed him when they fought. We were together in a cell for  _ days. _ He was barely clinging to life. He was only conscious a few times. His leg was completely shattered, his ribs were broken, not to mention all the internal bleeding and head injuries. His eyes had been practically cut out of his head. It was  _ awful. _ There was no way he was going to survive. I doubt even one of the healing pods could have saved him by that point,” she said. 

Shiro shuddered. He hadn’t seen Keith after his fight with Zarkon, but he’d heard his anguished screams over the coms before they went dead. 

“Then why isn’t he dead?” Hunk asked. 

“He told me he was going to die, that he wasn’t going to wake up again,” Allura said. “But right before he actually died, Haggar took him. I was knocked out, so I have no idea how long she had him. He was put back in our cell, and he was completely healed, except… his eyes were yellow.  At the time, I suspected that Haggar had mutated him, or maybe even just replaced his eyes, considering how severely injured they were. That… and he seemed very upset by it. So I did my best to comfort him,” she said. 

“But he’s a hybrid, isn’t he?” Coran asked. “His body composition started altering naturally.” 

Allura nodded. “The next day, Zarkon met with us, and he made Keith an offer. Betray us and be his red paladin. Keith  _ laughed _ at him. But then… Then they told him he was Galra, and Haggar touched him and his skin started turning purple. He was taken away from me. We were kept separate after that.” 

“Wait so… he didn’t accept the offer?” Pidge asked. 

She shook her head. “Not at first, no. I suspect that he was a double agent the whole time, but he played his part well.” 

“Allura, that’s impossible,” Shiro interrupted. “Keith was raised on  _ Earth. _ He’s been on Earth his entire life! He didn’t know Galra  _ existed _ until a few months ago.” 

“He could have lied to you as well, you understand that, don’t you Shiro?” she asked, eyes cold. 

“Since he was a little kid?” he demanded. 

“How old was he when you met him?” she asked. 

“Twelve.” 

Allura  _ laughed. _ “Galra are pressed into the military by the time they are old enough to function. They’re trained for it from  _ childhood. _ He absolutely could have been sent to Earth to find the Blue Lion,  _ especially _ since he blended in so well.” 

“That’s not-” he began to protest. 

“Shiro, I’m afraid the princess is correct. It… it is a possibility,” Coran interrupted. 

“I’m sorry, I just can’t believe that he’d do something like that, or hide being an alien from me for that long,” he said. “There were records of him being on Earth since birth!” 

“All easily able to be fabricated by the Galra, I assure you,” Allura said. “But whether he has always been a traitor or simply switched sides now, it doesn’t change the fact that we have been betrayed.” 

“When did he actually switch sides?” Pidge asked. 

“I saw him again a few days later. By that point, half his face was purple, and he was with a Galra woman, the general, that we fought. I… I suspect that they are… involved, considering how protective they are of one another,” she said. 

“Wait a second, involved… like, Keith has a Galra girlfriend?” Hunk asked. 

“Something like that,” Allura said. 

Shiro’s world came crashing down. Keith wouldn’t have betrayed them for a girl he had just met, and he didn’t buy Allura’s theory of him being a traitor from the get go. There  _ had _ to be something else going on. Nothing Allura was telling them made sense! 

“Anyways, he claimed he didn’t even know he was Galra, and that he didn’t  _ want _ to accept the offer, but that he didn’t have a choice.” She rolled her eyes. “He had every choice in the world but he picked  _ that  _ one. I didn’t have anymore one on one conversations with him, but I was there when he pledged his loyalty.” 

“They must have forced him into it somehow,” Shiro said. “If he said he didn’t have a choice, I believe him.” 

“Stop making excuses for that monster!” Allura shouted. 

Shiro flinched, not expecting the outburst. 

“He’s just as vile and power hungry as the rest of his species! He is  _ dead _ to us and is nothing more than another enemy that we need to get rid of! Shiro, he  _ asked _ the druids to make his body more Galran because their bodies are more suited for combat and violence than a human’s! He  _ chose _ that! You cannot defend him!” she shrieked. 

“He’s my  _ brother, _ Allura,” he said softly. 

“Then that just makes his betrayal all the worse,” she said. 

Shiro didn’t even know what to say after that, but he felt that there might have been some details that the princess was leaving out of her story. He intended to ask her about them, but not right now. He’d do it when they were alone and he could push a little harder. 

“What do we do now?” Hunk asked. “Zarkon has a lion and someone to fly it. We don’t have Voltron anymore, which was kind of the only thing we had going for us.” 

“We kill Keith, take the lion back, and find it a new paladin,” Allura said. 

“Woah, Allura! That seems a little extreme, doesn’t it?” Pidge asked. “Shouldn’t we at least hear Keith's side of it?” 

“It’s no different than what I told you. I am going to go speak with members of the coalition and start planning the assassination.” With that, she marched out of the room. 

“I’ll… I’ll try to talk to her,” Coran said as he quickly followed her. 

“They’re going to try and kill my little brother,” Shiro muttered. “My little brother is an alien, and a traitor.” 

“We’ll get it figured out,” Pidge promised. “I’m going to see if I can learn anything by hacking into radio chatter. Hunk, you want to help me out?” 

“Yeah, yeah sure,” he said, following her out. 

With everyone else gone, Shiro was left alone with Lance. Who, honestly, Shiro had forgotten was there, considering he hadn’t said a single word. Which was… worrisome. Lance had  _ never _ been that quiet. 

“Lance, are you okay?” he asked. 

Lance looked up and cracked a very, very forced smile. “Yeah, yeah I’m fine. I think I’m going to go… rest for a while.” He left rather hastily. 

Shiro frowned and made a note to check up on him later. Something definitely wasn’t right. 

He’d just have to add it to the list of things that had gone wrong. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the longer wait, but I'm sure you all know how the start of a semester can be with getting back into the swing of things, but hopefully within a week or two I'll be back to the regularly scheduled programing

Keith paced back and forth outside the medical bay. The emperor had dismissed him as soon as they got back to central command, without a single word on his performance. 

He wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. 

However, he couldn’t even be worried about it. He was too worried about Acxa. 

He didn’t know  _ why _ he was so worried. She had only been electrocuted, and he knew for a fact that Pidge never had her bayard on a fatal setting. And aside from that, he had only known Acxa for a few days. There was  _ no reason _ for him to be this worked up over this. He hadn’t even changed out of his armor. 

“Ah, red paladin.” 

Keith turned on his heel, coming face to face with two of Acxa’s friends. What were their names? Ezor and… Zethrid? Yeah, that sounded right. 

“What happened to Acxa?” Zethrid demanded. 

“She was electrocuted, but she’ll be fine,” he said. “I’ll go. I’m sure she’ll be up soon and she’d probably like to see you more than me.” He tried to walk off, but Zethrid grabbed his shoulder. 

“Where do you think you’re going?” she asked. 

“Um…” Keith frowned. Should he go for his sword? 

“When are you going to claim Acxa?” Ezor asked. 

“When am I going to… what?” He took a step back. 

“Claim her,” she said. “If you’re going to act like this, at least claim her so that it will be proper. You’re going to ruin her reputation if you keep this up.” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” He didn’t like where this was going. 

Ezor frowned. “You’ve been doing all of this and you don’t even know what it means.” She shook her head. 

“Doing what?” he demanded. 

Zethrid growled. “If you don’t take this seriously and at least start officially  _ courting _ her if you don’t want to claim her-” 

_ “Courting her?” _ Keith nearly choked. 

“Sweet gods,” Ezor sighed. “He’s an  _ idiot.”  _

“I’m not-” he began to argue. 

“Every single Galra either one of you has interacted with thinks you’re courting. Come out and say you are. It’s better for both of you,” Ezor said. 

“But we’re not!” he protested. He wasn’t  _ dating _ Acxa. She was  _ Galra. _ She was with the  _ Empire! _ As much as he liked her… he couldn’t… he couldn’t do that. He’d already been pulled much too far into this lifestyle. He didn’t need to become anymore Galra than he already had, and that included  _ dating _ one of them. 

“Uh huh…” Ezor muttered. “Yeah, you are. As soon as Acxa is released from the medbay, you’re going to get this sorted out with her.” She spun him around and shoved him. “Now run along. We have other things to discuss without you.” 

Keith glanced back at them, but headed towards his quarters. 

He knew that they were Acxa’s friends, and from what he understood, friends were very protective. But… they  _ must _ have misunderstood things. 

True, he didn’t really know anything about Galra culture, which included romantic rituals. And… he had licked her that one time, and that had obviously been intimate. And they  _ did _ spend a lot of time together….

And the Galra Empire thought they were “courting.” Worse, he  _ wanted _ to date Acxa. Did she want to date him? 

“Fuck. Fuck me.” 

* * *

Lance stumbled to his room. His chest felt like it was collapsing in on itself. “Please, please, please don’t be any worse.” He pulled his shirt over his head and examined the injury. 

Lance had known something was wrong the moment Haggar had struck him. 

He wasn’t dead. 

He knew how powerful the witch was. She  _ should _ have killed him. The pain had kicked in on their way back to the castle. It had settled in his chest right where he’d been hit, and had begun slowly spreading. 

He didn’t know why, exactly, he had told Allura he wasn’t injured, but as soon as he saw what the wound looked like, he was relieved he hadn’t. 

Deep purple stripes and runes spread out from where he'd been struck. And they weren't bruises. 

Needless to say, he’d panicked. 

He knew he wasn’t half Galra like Keith was. There was literally no way! Besides, his skin wasn't exactly just turning _purple._ The markings were far too deliberate for that. They were more like tattoos. 

Which meant that Haggar had done something to him. Something that was very clearly Galran in origin. 

He'd decided to ask Allura and Coran about it after their meeting. Surely  _ some _ kind of Altean technology could fix him, or at least, figure out what had actually been _done_ to him.

But then Allura wanted to kill Keith for being Galra. True, him being a traitor was probably part of it, but it was also definitely because he was Galra, too. 

He couldn’t tell Allura about this! She might think he was a traitor, too! She already thought Keith had been a sleeper agent from the start (which, Lance had to agree with Shiro on that one. Keith hadn’t always been a Galran soldier, he hadn’t even known he was  _ Galra _ , and Lance would bet on it). 

But it didn’t really matter. If it never got any worse, he could keep it covered up. Allura would never have to know. Sure, it kind of hurt, but it would probably go away eventually, right? 

He almost cried when he saw that the markings were still spreading. They snaked over the entire left half of his chest, and the runes still looked uncompleted, which probably meant they were going to continue to spread. 

_ Why? _ Why would Haggar do this? What did these runes even mean? What would they _do?_ Kill him? But if she wanted him dead, why not just do it quickly? 

With little else to do, he put his shirt back on. As long as it was still covered. 

How long would it take to spread? Since he was completely human, what exactly would it do to him? He'd seen the way Keith was altered, but this wasn't the same thing. What could the end goal actually be? 

He took a deep breath. He didn’t know anything about this situation, and just ignoring it was… probably the worst possible thing he could do. 

God, this was possibly one of the dumbest things he’d ever done. 

* * *

“Hey, um, Allura?” Lance asked. 

She looked up from the book she was reading. “What is it, Lance?” 

“Can… can Haggar change people?” he asked, trying to keep the quiver out of his voice. He really wished he was a better liar. “Like… just change things about them? Like their... bodies, or... anything, really?” 

She frowned, and Lance fought the urge to run back to his room. “Why are you asking about this?” 

“Because… well, Keith’s always looked human, and, and even if he actually is half Galra, shouldn’t he, you know, at least look a little bit human, still?” he asked, really wishing he had rehearsed his lie a few more times. “Could she, can Galra do that? If she could change Keith that much, what else could she do?” What could she do to _him?_

Allura’s frown softened. “Oh, Lance… I know you want to find someway that Keith is still human in there, still loyal to us, but whether Haggar changed his genetic code or not, it doesn’t change the decisions he made.” 

“But… Allura, please, I need to know. Is that a possibility?” he asked. “Just, at some point, was something about him  _ changed?” _ _Did she change something about _me?

She sighed. “If this is really how you want to think about it, then yes. Even back before the war, the Galra could change people. So yes, I  _ suppose _ , theoretically, Keith could have been one hundred percent human, especially if Haggar was involved. Though they really only used the druids' abilities to alter other beings' quintessence, make them into druids themselves, rather than actually change a genetic code." She shook her head. "But that's not what happened to Keith. I looked at his scans we had on file. He was definitely half Galra. He just had Haggar alter him enough to be full Galra.” 

It took everything Lance had to not freak out then and there. Alter their _quintessence?_ What the hell did that even _mean?_ “They can  _ do _ that? How?  _ Why?" _

“Because they’re monsters, and want complete and total control, and stealing someone’s very _being,_ their _soul,_ is a great way to do that,” she hissed. “Everyone's quintessence is precious, and different species can use it in different ways. Druids aren't just Galra, though they're the only ones that can be born _naturally_ with the ability, it's nothing like Altean alchemy. They're beings that had their quintessence perverted by the Galra, altered, so that they can better sense the energy and manipulate it themselves. It's an extreme thing, and it can change a person drastically, physically and mentally, especially if it's unwilling." 

Lance laughed nervously, and he was sure his panic was probably beginning to show. “And… and it could be done to anyone? Even a human?” 

“Yes…” Allura squinted. “Lance, is there… a particular reason you’re so interested in this?” 

Lance held on to the last scrap of hope he had. “Can it be reversed? Just... if something like that happened to-to... Keith... if we got him back, could we fix it?” 

“Even if we found out that Keith wasn’t a traitor, and he wanted his old human form back, along with anything else Haggar changed, I’m afraid it’s not possible. The initial process is traumatic to the body and soul, and a second transformation would completely tear him apart. That, and quintessence is a very volatile thing, barely able to be altered so drastically once. I’m sorry, but there’s no way humans have the ability to fight against such a process once it began.” 

“O-Okay, Allura. I’ll uh, I’ll leave you alone now.” He basically sprinted away from her and back to his bedroom. 

Haggar had changed his _quintessence,_ likely made him into a _druid_. It wasn’t reversible. It was traumatic. Allura hated Galra, and anything associated with them, druids included. The runes were still expanding. 

He just barely managed to make it to a bathroom before he threw up what little was in his stomach. Thankfully it wasn’t much. He fell against the wall, chest heaving, and wiped vomit from the corner of his mouth. 

What was he going to  _ do? _

“Lance?” Shiro appeared in the doorway. “Are you okay?” 

Lance froze. “Uh, y-yeah. I’m fine.” 

Shiro obviously didn’t believe him. “Are you sure about that?” 

He hung his head. “Allura hated Keith before he actually switched sides, didn’t she? Just, just because she found out he was Galra?” 

Shiro sighed. “I’ve been suspecting the same thing. Keith is… He’s actually very sensitive and impressionable. I think she might have been what drove him into joining the Empire. The things he said when we fought…” He grabbed Lance’s hand and pulled him up. “He was upset, and didn’t trust us enough to come back with us. He’s obviously being manipulated by the empire, he just… I wish I could actually  _ talk _ to him. I know I could reason with him, convince him that being Galra doesn’t make him a monster.” 

Lance worried his lip. “You really think so? That… being Galra isn’t what made him want to join the Empire?” 

“No, of course not,” Shiro said. He gave Lance a look. “Are you sure you’re okay? You haven’t been acting like yourself.” 

“I’m fine,” he lied. “I’m just… stressed, and tired, and… and upset.”  _ And turning into a druid.  _ “It’s been a rough couple of days.” He tried to smile. It probably didn’t look very convincing. 

“Well, okay,” Shiro said. “If you need to talk about anything, just come find me, okay?” 

“Mm hm, yeah. I think I’m going to take a nap, okay?” 

* * *

“Krolia, there’s been a change in plans. Thace is going to arrange that you’re moved to Central Command,” Kolivan said. 

“Sir?” she asked, clearly confused. 

“Have you not heard of the nightmare that’s going on there?” he asked. 

She shook her head. “I have not spoken to my brother since he was assigned, and they try to keep us out of the loop out here. What’s going on, sir?”

“Voltron has reemerged, and Zarkon has one of the lions, and a paladin. He was captured when Voltron attacked command. He turned traitor and is working for the empire now,” he explained. “We need this paladin taken out of the equation. You’ve been trained for assassinations, Thace has not. That’s why we want you there. As soon as the paladin is dead, we’ll extract you.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

* * *

“Acxa, you and the red paladin  _ need _ to start courting. I told you this would bite you in the ass, and it has,” Zethrid said. “Everyone knows. Lotor said he was coming by.” 

“He did,” she grumbled. She still wasn’t quite sure what to do with the conversation. What could the prince have possibly meant regarding the paladins? “He was… up to something.” 

“When is he not?” Ezor asked. “And that’s not even what we wanted to  _ talk _ about. You’re avoiding the subject!” 

“We’re not courting,” Acxa argued. 

Ezor laughed. “Yeah, that’s not what everyone else thinks.” 

“Don’t worry, we talked to him about it. Now you just need to go through the rituals,” Zethrid said. 

“You did  _ what?” _ Acxa demanded, shoving herself out of the cot. She winced. She couldn’t wait to punch the green paladin’s lights out. “And he  _ agreed?” _

“Well,” Ezor said. “We didn’t actually tell him about the rituals, and he just said that he wasn’t courting you, then he left.” 

“Dear gods,” Acxa grumbled. 

“Just admit you want to court him, Acxa,” Ezor said. “If you didn’t want to, you would have broken this off forever ago, treated him like any other soldier you didn’t want to be around.” 

She snarled. “Stay out of my business.” 

“You need to go talk to him,” Zethrid said. 

“Fine,” she growled. 

* * *

Allura woke up in a cold sweat, chest heaving. Her blankets were tangled around her legs. She couldn’t remember what her dream had been about, but she imagined that it wasn’t anything pleasant. 

She reached for the glass of water on her nightstand and took, slow, small sips of it. 

She never thought she would get out of the Galra prison alive, and now that she had, she almost wished she hadn’t. 

Never mind dealing with Keith, something wasn’t right. Something was seriously wrong with Lance. He’d been oddly quiet, to say nothing of their extremely odd conversation earlier. 

And she wasn’t feeling right either. Maybe she shouldn’t have played down what the druids had done to her. She didn’t know what it was, but something had been done. She hadn’t felt right since then. 

She sighed and looked down at her hands. Wisps of darkness curled between her fingers. She clenched his fists, forcing the darkness to dissipate. 

She needed to tell Coran and Shiro about this, figure out exactly what was going on with her, but it wasn’t that important at the moment. 

She’d talk to them after Keith was dealt with. 

The door to her room slid open. “Allura!" Shiro gasped. "I know how I escaped the Galran prison!” 

* * *

Pidge had no idea what to do with the Galra sitting on their couch in handcuffs. 

Pidge didn’t think that any of them knew what to do with that. 

“You resist the empire?” Allura asked, clearly disbelieving him.

“The Blade of Marmora has been fighting against the Empire since the fall of Altea,” he said. 

“I don’t believe you. Why you would ever fight the Empire?” she hissed. 

“Allura, he helped me escape,” Shiro argued. 

“Yeah, um, I’m with Shiro,” Pidge said. “The Empire is fucked up. It’s stupid to believe that there are no Galra that are against it.” 

Allura glared at the both of them. “What Galra has  _ ever _ done anything to help us?” 

Pidge bit her lip. Whether Keith was a traitor or not, he had technically helped them in the past, and she still wasn’t entirely sure he was a traitor. Even after the disastrous clash with the empire. 

“Keith,” Lance said quietly. “Keith helped us a lot.” 

“Keith, is a  _ traitor,”  _ Allura snarled. “Like every other backstabbing member of his race.” 

“Are you referring to the red paladin?” Ulaz asked. 

Allura went rigid, and Pidge swore she could hear her grinding her teeth. “Yes. I am referring to the  _ former _ red paladin.” 

“Well he’s still got the red lion so technically he’s not former anything…” Pidge mused quietly. 

“The Blade has been arranging an assassination attempt of him. We have several undercover members on Central Command keeping tabs on him,” Ulaz said. 

“You can’t do that!” Shiro protested. 

“It is necessary,” Ulaz said. “We simply cannot allow the empire to have access to a lion of Voltron like that. One of our best agents is being transferred to Central Command within a few days. She will dispose of him very quickly.” 

“He’s my brother! I’m not going to let him be killed over something we don’t even have all the information on!” Shiro shouted. 

“Brother?” Ulaz’s eyes widened. “He is… half terran?” 

“Yes?” Pidge leaned forward. “Is that important?” 

“We need to get to my outpost!” He tried to get up, nearly tripping over his tied feet in his haste. “I have to inform my superiors  _ immediately!”  _

“Woah, woah, woah, how about you tell us why him being half human is so important?” Hunk asked. 

Ulaz took a deep breath. “The operative we’re sending to assassinate him has a half terran son. She shouldn’t have to go through that.” 

“Holy shit,” Pidge swore. “You’re sending his  _ mom _ to kill him?” 

“I told you Keith wasn’t raised in the Empire!” Shiro told Allura. 

“If he’s telling the truth!” she shrieked. “He’s likely with the Empire as well! All of this is a lie!” 

“Allura, we functioned well enough without you for weeks, and your opinions of current situations are biased. I’m sorry, but your say is going to carry little weight with us at the moment,” Shiro said sternly. 

Allura’s jaw dropped. Then she snarled, “You will lead us all to ruin,” and she marched off. 

Ulaz raised an eyebrow, but didn’t comment on their internal power struggles. 

Shiro sighed and shook his head. “Lead us to your outpost.” 

* * *

“I’m sending you and Generals Acxa and Ezor to attack the Castle of Lions,” Zarkon said. 

Keith’s ears pricked. “Just the three of us?” 

“Yes. You’ll be able to handle them. And you’re taking the red lion,” he said.

Keith couldn’t help but grin. He hadn’t been allowed to fly red since he fought Zarkon. He had missed her. “Yes, sir.” 

“You will be given the coordinates,” he said. “And given the opportunity, offer to let the blue paladin join us. Don’t try to fight him.” 

“Sir?” Why  _ Lance _ of all the other paladins? Shiro and Pidge made sense, being the former champion and a genius. And Hunk was an engineer. What skills did Lance have? 

“You have concerns?” He leaned forward, and Keith tried not to feel like he was walking into a trap. 

“I know the paladins and… Lance-the blue paladin may not be the best one to take out to cause the most damage,” he said. As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Keith wanted to punch himself. As angry as he was with the paladins at the moment, he didn’t want any of them to suffer the same fate as him, and he  _ definitely _ didn’t want to give Zarkon more information on them than he had to. They were still the best bet for defeating him. 

But surprisingly, Zarkon laughed. “I’m aware of the paladins’ individual skill sets, and I still stand by what I said. If given the opportunity, make the blue paladin an offer. But that’s not your prime objective. The paladins have made contact with a Galran resistance cell. I want you to eliminate the traitor they are communicating with.” 

Keith swallowed thickly. “Yes, sir.” He turned on his heel and rushed towards the hangar that red was being stored in. 

There was a Galran resistance? How did he not know about that!? Was there any possible way he could join? 

He didn’t entertain the thought. They probably thought he was really Zarkon’s lackey. They’d likely kill him on the spot if he tried to contact them. 

He needed to stop trying to get out of this. He’d dug this hole, he was just going to have to live in it. 

And he was going to be in close proximity to Acxa… who he’d been avoiding for a while… 

“Godammit.” 


	7. Chapter 7

“This outpost is so cool!” Pidge squealed as she grabbed Ulaz’s arm. “You have  _ got _ to show me the technology that does this!” 

He shook her off, but she noticed his little smile. “Of course. As soon as I speak to Kolivan.” 

He tapped at a keyboard and opened up a hailing frequency. A scarred Galra’s face popped up onto the screen. “Ulaz. What is going on?” He looked to Pidge. “Who is this?” 

“I’m Pidge, the green paladin of Voltron,” she said. 

Ulaz hushed her. “Don’t send Krolia to assassinate the red paladin.” 

“We need him out of the equation, Ulaz,” the Galra, Kolivan, said. "There aren't any other options." 

“Sir, if I may.” Pidge stood on her tiptoes so she could better see the screen. “I understand how disastrous Zarkon having a lion and a paladin is, trust me. But Keith, well, we’re not a hundred percent convinced he  _ is _ a traitor. We don’t have all the facts. And-” 

“Paladin,” Kolivan interrupted. “I understand that this is your former teammate, but all that tells me is that he has more information that could be used against you, and that he cannot be trusted.” 

“But-” 

Kolivan narrowed his eyes. “Ulaz, please tell me that this isn’t why you want to call off the mission,” he growled. 

“No, sir. I actually agree that he needs to be taken out, captured, at the least,” he said. “I’m protesting sending _Krolia_ to do this. The red paladin is her son.” 

Kolivan blinked, and Pidge had a feeling that was the most surprise he would ever show. “You’re sure?” 

“According to the other paladins, he grew up on Terra, and I assume that there aren’t very many Galran-Terran hybrids. And if you watch the footage of him, it’s obvious that he has the same markings as her. He's her spitting image.” He sighed. “You know she will figure it out and then she won’t kill him. She’ll likely bring him back to base, try to reason with him.” 

“Maybe we should let her figure it out,” Kolivan said. 

“Sir?” Ulaz’s eyebrows knit together. 

“Paladin, how confident are you that your red paladin is not completely loyal to the empire?” he asked. 

“Arrrrrrr…” Pidge had no idea how to answer that. “About sixty percent? Full disclosure, he did try to kill me a few days ago, but something isn’t adding up about any of this. And besides, even if he is a traitor, we could get information out of him.” 

“We will allow Krolia to continue. She’ll either kill him or bring him in, and it’s a win either way,” Kolivan said. 

“Kolivan, that’s cruel. She already had to leave him behind on Terra. Don’t put her through this,” Ulaz argued. 

“She can handle it,” he said. 

Screeching alarms blaring through the base had Pidge leaping several feet into the air. 

“Fuck.” Ulaz shut down the communications and sprinted for the door. 

“Ulaz!” Pidge could barely keep up with him, damn her short legs. “What’s going on?” 

“We are under attack. The Empire must be tracking your team,” he muttered. 

_ “What?” _ she shrieked. She checked for trackers after _every_ skirmish with the Empire. That was _impossible. _

“You must get back to your ship. The rest of your team is waiting in the hangar,” he said. 

Pidge raced into the hangar, to find Shiro, Lance, and Hunk staring out the window, eyes wide. “What?” she demanded. “What’s going on?” 

“It’s… It’s the red lion,” Shiro said. “Keith is attacking us.”

* * *

Keith shot at the base again, or what he assumed was the base. It was very well hidden, invisible, actually. But Acxa had assured him they were in the right place. 

How long would it take to drive them out!? He didn’t want to accidentally kill one of the paladins by blowing up the outpost they were on. 

“Does the kitty have a name?” Ezor asked as she leaned over his shoulder. 

“Red,” Keith said. “I call her Red.” 

“Wow. Original,” Acxa said. 

Keith glanced over at her, and tried not to notice her little frown. If her demeanor was anything to go by, she was a little pissed off that he’d been avoiding her. 

“Obviously this isn’t working,” she said. “Ezor, infiltrate the base and drive them out.” She handed her a small device. "This should sense exactly where the base is, so just follow this, and you should be able to get in easily."

Ezor smirked at the both of them, then saluted Acxa and bounded off to get a pod. 

Her pod shot towards the base, and they sat in silence, waiting for something to happen. After a few moments of unbearable quiet, Keith groaned. “Jesus Christ, can this guy come out so we can kill him already.” 

Acxa didn’t reply. She just stared out the windshield. 

Keith took a deep breath. She obviously wasn’t going to pretend that certain things hadn’t happened. “I’m sorry.” 

Her frown vanished and her ears perked up. “What?” 

“I’m sorry for avoiding you, and if something I did put you in an awkward situation,” he said, before turning his attention back to the controls, wanting this terrible conversation finished as quickly as possible. 

“Sorry?” she repeated.

“Er, yes?” Had he handled this the wrong way? Should he have left it alone? Not brought it up? 

“What do you have to be sorry for? You didn’t know what you were doing. If anything, I should be apologizing to you for not telling you what our… relationship implied to others,” she said. “ _ I’m  _ sorry if I put you in a situation where you feel it’s necessary to court me.” 

Keith blanked. That  _ was not _ the response he had been expecting. “Well, uh, I mean, no I didn’t really know what was going on, but-” 

“You guys need to get on the base,” Ezor’s voice chimed over the radio. “The agent and the paladins are here, I can’t handle them all on my own. It doesn’t look like they’re going to try to fight you out there.” 

Keith bared his teeth. Damn. He’d hoped to distract the paladins while Ezor and Acxa took out the Galran agent. It would be difficult, but he could outmaneuver them in Red, and that way, he wouldn't have to _actually_ interact with them. 

Axca pulled her helmet on. “We’re on our way." 

* * *

“He’s stopped firing at the base,” Pidge muttered. “Why did he stop firing?” 

It took everything in Shiro to keep from pacing and digging his hands into his hair. Every encounter with Keith just seemed to make the situation worse. 

Ulaz drew his blade. “Because they’re on the ship. He’s not here alone.” 

Pidge drew her own weapon. “How do you know?” 

“I can smell them,” he said. “Which means they can smell us. They’re waiting.” 

“How many?” Shiro asked. 

“Three.” 

“Oh, we can handle three-” Lance started. 

The lights went out, red pulsating emergency bulbs were all that remained. Not even a second later, a dark blur kicked Lance in the chest, sending him flying into a wall.

Shiro could just barely make out three figures in the darkness, shoulder to shoulder. He squinted, desperately trying to assess the Galra attacking and figure out his team's exact locations, but it was too dark. Damn, they really should have tried to get closer to one another as soon as Ulaz alerted them to an enemy presence! 

“Ezor, kill the traitor. Keith, handle the black paladin,” a sharp voice growled.

The three figures broke apart. A few seconds later, Pidge shrieked. 

“Pidge!” Shiro shouted, trying to figure out how far away she was. 

There was no reply. 

The lights flashed again. For a split second, Shiro swore he saw Keith, fangs bared in a horrific smile. 

“Keith?” Shiro dared to call. “Can we please talk? I don’t want to fight you. I want to know… I want to know the truth. What happened to you?” 

Keith didn’t answer. 

* * *

Lance groaned and rubbed at his head. Whoever kicked him had shoved him right into a wall. He was pretty sure he’d been knocked out for a few seconds. 

“Hey, Lance.” Someone leaned over him, and Lance swore he recognized their voice. 

“Hmmm?” He forced his eyes open. Red lights flashed, illuminating an achingly familiar face. “Keith?” 

Keith grinned. His fangs were  _ huge.  _ Lance cringed. He hadn’t really gotten a good look at him during the last fight. He hadn’t realized how  _ monstrous _ he looked now, no different than any other Galra. There really _wasn't_ a single trace of human in him anymore. 

“What… happened? What’s going on?” he managed to ask. He tried to squirm away from Keith, but his body wasn’t obeying. 

“Ezor is a little over zealous and you were the closest. Might wanna get your head checked out.” He grabbed Lance’s chin, and he desperately tried to ignore the claws digging into his skin. “Now listen to me, Lance. This is important.” 

Despite everything, Keith’s eerie, yellow eyes somehow managed to look sincere. They almost _glowed_ in the inky darkness.

“Zarkon told me to offer you a place in the Empire," Keith said. "I have no idea why, but  _ don’t _ take it. Believe what you want about me, but stay away from the Galra. They want something from you. Don’t let them take it." His grip tightened, and Lance had to bite his tongue to keep from crying out as his claws broke the skin. “Understand?” 

Lance swallowed thickly. “Keith?” 

“Do you  _ understand?” _ he snarled. 

“Keith, I’m scared,” he said. “They… they…” 

“If you join them, I’ll kill you myself.” He vanished back into the darkness of the hallway. 

“What the fuck?” he whispered. 

* * *

“I don’t want to fight you either, Shiro.” 

Shiro froze, then whipped around, desperately trying to locate the owner of the voice. “Keith?” 

“I don’t want to fight you,” he repeated. 

“Keith, please, just talk to me, let me see you,” he pleaded. 

Keith stepped into the red light. “If you don’t want to fight me, what do you want?” 

“Keith…” Shiro reached out slowly, wanting to touch him, but Keith flinched away. His hand lowered. 

Shiro wanted him to look horrible, he wanted him to be begging for a way out, he didn’t want his brother to be  _ this. _ A strong, loyal Galra soldier, doing whatever his commanding officer told him to.

“What do you want, Shiro?” he repeated. 

“I want you to come  _ back, _ Keith. I don’t want you to let yourself become this, you don’t have to,” he said. “Don’t let being Galra turn you into a monster.” 

Keith sneered. “Would  _ Allura _ have me back? Would  _ you _ even have me back after this? If I came back, I would be a prisoner.” 

Shiro’s heart sank. So Allura _did_ have something to do with this. “I won’t let her do anything to you.” 

“Why did you leave me there?” His voice shook, desperation and confusion clouded his features. “You were willing to make a deal for Allura, but you didn’t do anything for me….” 

Shiro reached out again. “Keith, I wanted to, believe me but-” 

Keith shook his head, and that cool, neutral expression was back. “That’s not why I’m here. Keep Lance away from the Galra.” 

Shiro frowned. “What?” 

“Keep him  _ away _ from the Galra. They want him for some reason. Don’t let him end up like me,” he said. 

“What does that mean?” 

He bared his teeth, that sick, twisted smile. “A monster.” He crept back into the darkness. “Stay away from me, Shiro. Because next time, I  _ will _ fight you, and you might not be able to survive it.” 

He vanished, almost like he'd never been there at all, leaving Shiro to continue down the hallway, hoping he was going in the right direction to find the rest of the team.

* * *

“You’re the betrayer,” the traitor hissed at Keith. 

Keith didn’t react. 

“You are the traitor in this scenario,” Acxa snapped. “And you are going to pay for your crimes.” 

Ezor chuckled and tightened her hold on him. 

The traitor hissed, but Acxa could tell that he knew. Knew that he wasn't getting out of this alive. The paladins were down, and he had no hope of defeating _one_ of them in his current position, let alone all three. So they could take their time. 

Acxa took a deep breath. According to Ezor and Zethrid, Keith hadn’t seemed averse to the idea of courting her, and this was as good as anytime to initiate a courtship. 

“Keith, would you like to court me?” she asked. 

“Oh my gods,” Ezor squeaked, her eyes lighting up. 

Keith’s eyes widened. “Are you… are you serious?” 

Acxa tensed. Had she misread things? “Yes…”

“Well... Y-Yeah... but… is this really where we need to be having this conversation?” he asked, gesturing to the Galra still trying to escape Ezor’s hold, despite a broken leg, and having one of his eyes cut out of his head. (Ezor could get a little cruel with her targets). 

“If you would like to, I think we should claim each other, and there’s certain rituals we need to go through for that,” she said. “One of them is that we make a kill together, and share the blood.” 

Keith was silent for a moment, and Acxa grew worried that what was left of his human side would stop him. But then he drew his knife. “Okay.” 

The Galra renewed his struggles. 

Acxa drew her own knife and placed it against the Galra’s throat. Keith copied her. 

Together, they slit the traitor’s throat. 

* * *

Keith didn’t want to kill the rebel. Killing this rebel was the  _ last _ thing he wanted to do. But what choice did he have? 

As he pressed his knife against his throat,  _ I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry _ echoed in his head, over and over. 

It didn’t take him long to bleed out. 

Ever so gently, Acxa dipped her hand into the blood pooling on the floor. Keith did his best not to frown. 

“Do you trust me?” she asked, holding up her blood-coated hand. 

He nodded. Despite everything, he  _ did _ trust Acxa. She’d been helping him since day one. She had his back. She wouldn’t let anything happen to him. 

She pressed her hand against his cheek, leaving behind a sticky, bloody handprint. 

Keith returned the action. The blood was still warm. Her skin was soft, but somehow, the blood looked right at home smeared across her face. 

“Aw, how romantic,” Ezor said as she gave the body one final kick. 

* * *

Pidge groaned. Her head felt like it was  _ exploding.  _ She forced herself up. 

How long had she been out? The red lights were still flashing, but she didn't hear any struggling. 

The last thing she remembered was fighting the Galran general. She’d lasted a few minutes before she’d gotten her ass kicked. 

The dark hadn’t helped. She had a feeling the Galra had killed the lights on purpose. She suspected they were better at fighting in the dark than they were, had better senses. 

They really needed to learn more about the Galra as a species, learn their strengths and weaknesses. 

She tripped over something very large and solid, then slipped in something. She steadied herself, just as the lights flashed again. 

“Oh fuck.” 

She’d tripped over a corpse. _Ulaz's_ corpse. 

The breath caught in her throat as she took a hasty step back, before sliding down the wall. Despite how much she wanted to, she couldn't tear her eyes away from his mangled body. 

Ulaz had snuck onto the castle, nearly taken down their entire team with ease. 

_ Ezor, kill the traitor.  _

He'd been killed, _slaughtered,_ like it was _nothing,_ by a team that small. It'd been done so quickly Pidge hadn't even heard the fight. 

She buried her hands in her hair and pressed her forehead against her knees. "What are we going to do?" she whispered. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ezor is one of my all time favorite character types: sweet, bubbly, and very, very unhinged


	8. Chapter 8

“Ulaz is dead?” the Blade of Marmora leader, Kolivan, asked. 

Shiro sighed. “I’m afraid so.” 

He thought he might have seen a flicker of sadness in Kolivan’s eyes for a moment, but it was so quick that he couldn’t be sure. “Understood. Given the circumstances, I do not believe it is safe for any more of my agents to interact with your group until the situation with your traitorous paladin is resolved.” 

Part of Shiro wanted to protest, but he knew Kolivan was right. His team had already gotten one of his agents killed. “That might be for the best.” 

“Our agency will reach out when we feel it is safe to do so.” The communication was cut off. 

“It  _ is  _ for the best, Shiro,” Allura said from the doorway. He hadn’t even noticed her come in. “We can’t trust the Galra.” 

“Allura, Ulaz  _ died. _ You really think the empire would kill him if he was on their side?” he asked. 

“As a way to fool us into thinking the Blade was on our side, I absolutely believe it is something they would do,” she said. 

“Okay,” Shiro said. He didn’t have the energy to argue. “Okay.” 

He needed to go talk to Lance anyways, see if he knew anything about what Keith meant. He couldn’t think of a single reason why the Galra would want Lance, specifically, but maybe he would. 

* * *

As soon as they set foot back on central command, stares followed them. Keith tried to ignore them, and they weren’t that unusual for him, what, being the half breed red paladin and all, but somehow, these were worse. 

He didn’t like the way they eyed Acxa either, almost as if they were jealous, or thought she could do better. 

He didn’t notice he had started growling until Acxa laid a hand on his shoulder. “It’s okay, this is normal.” 

He shook his head and did his best to ignore them as they made their way to report to Zarkon.

* * *

So the Galra  _ did _ want him on their side. It wasn’t surprising, but still upsetting. 

But he’d talked to  _ Keith.  _ He’d actually  _ talked _ to him, and  _ warned _ him. Was he still on their side? Had he been trying to help him? 

Sure, he had threatened to kill him, but that was just Keith, wasn’t it? He did things like that.

Either way, with confirmation that there was no way to stop what was happening to him, and knowing that the empire was after him, he needed to talk to someone about this, figure something out. It couldn’t be Allura. She would… he didn’t even know what she would do, but it wouldn’t be _good._ Hunk was his first choice, but, well, what would he really know to do about it? Pidge, she might actually be a good option, but he had a feeling she’d get too analytical about it, would want to… study what was happening to him, and that wasn’t something he wanted or needed. 

Who was he kidding, Shiro was obviously the best option. He might actually know what to do, and he wouldn’t freak out on Lance. 

Yeah, he needed to talk to Shiro. 

Reluctantly, he left his room, and went to find him. 

* * *

Lance did find him, and he… didn’t look like he was in a good mood. “Hey, Shiro? Can uh, can we talk?” 

Shiro rubbed his hand down his face. “Yeah, yeah. I was actually about to come find you.” 

“You… You were?” Lance chewed his lip. “Why?” 

“Come on, we’ll go talk somewhere else,” he said. “I’m not looking to run into Allura again. She’s driving me crazy.” 

Had they gotten in another fight again? Lance had heard them shouting at each other the other night and wisely avoided them. It was the last thing any of them needed at the moment, but Lance understood why Shiro was pushing back against Allura recently. 

Lance found himself sitting on the observation deck, Shiro on his left side. 

“So uh, what did you want to talk about?” Lance asked. 

“I talked to Keith,” he started. 

Lance stiffened. 

“Well, he talked to me. He didn’t exactly let me say much.” He laughed softly. “But he did mention something about you. He said to keep you away from the Empire.” His eyes narrowed. “I’m not accusing you of anything, but do you know anything about that?” 

Lance rubbed his upper arm. Sure, telling Shiro about this was a good idea in theory, but actually having to do it? 

“He uh… he kind of said the same thing to me,” he said. “He told me that he was supposed to offer me a place in the empire, but if I took it, that he would kill me.” He shook his head. “It was… weird. And terrifying.”

Shiro frowned. “Did he say anything else?” 

Lance shook his head. “No, not really. He growled a few times. And laughed. I think being Galra turned him crazy.” 

“He’s hurt, Lance,” Shiro said, bowing his head. “He thinks we abandoned him. He basically admitted as much.”

“Oh…” Lance hadn’t even considered that. They never had tried to rescue Keith, had they? Sure, he doubted Keith _wanted_ to be rescued, he probably would have chewed them out if they did, but he supposed it would still hurt to be left in a place like that. 

“But do you know why the empire wants you? Did you learn something they don’t want you to, or something like that?” he asked. 

“I… I think I know why but, Shiro, I…” He took a deep breath. “I’m scared. I’m freaking out, and I don’t know what to do.” 

Shiro laid a hand on his shoulder. “Lance, what’s wrong?” 

“Haggar did something to me, and I… I asked Allura about it, without actually, you know, telling her it happened to me, and what she told me wasn’t good and I don’t know what to do, I-” he rattled. 

“Lance!” Shiro interrupted. “I can’t help you unless you actually tell me what’s wrong.”

He rubbed his face. “Right, right, right. I’ll uh, I’ll just show you.” He lifted his shirt up, revealing the purple runes that were already creeping down his abdomen, having completely covered his chest by now. 

Shiro’s eyes widened. “Lance… what is this?” 

He worried his lip, and let his shirt fall back down. “W-Well… I don’t know  _ for sure, _ but according to what Allura told me, I think… I think that Haggar made me… into a druid.” He hung his head, waiting for some adverse reaction, but Shiro didn’t say anything at all. 

Eventually, Lance glanced up at him. “Shiro?” 

The older man sighed. “Lance, I’m sorry.” 

Lance curled in on himself. “Shiro, what the hell am I supposed to  _ do?” _

“Well for one, we have to learn exactly what this means for you,” Shiro said. “And we’re not letting you go anywhere by yourself with the empire after you like that.” 

“Okay.” He’d expected as much. 

“And if you start feeling or acting strange at all, you  _ have _ to tell someone. Immediately,” Shiro continued. 

With little else to do, he nodded. “Yeah, I-I’ll do that. But, what about Allura? She’s not going to let me stay here!” 

Shiro’s eyes hardened. “If she’s that determined to get rid of everyone that’s a little bit Galra, I’ll tell her she has to get rid of me too.” He help up his Galran arm. “I won’t let her do that, Lance. And I doubt Hunk, Pidge, or Coran would either. It even seems like Keith is on your side.” 

“Heh, yeah, just a bit.” He was silent for a minute. “We’ll get him back, Shiro. Somehow, we’re  _ going _ to get him back. I don’t think he’s actually a traitor. Not after… that.” 

A small smile tugged on Shiro’s lips. “Yeah, I don’t think so either.” 

* * *

While Acxa was gone for the moment, off reporting to Lotor, Ezor saw this as the perfect opportunity. The perfect opportunity to make sure Keith knew exactly what he was getting into. 

Zethrid and Narti weren’t far behind. 

She skipped up to Keith’s quarters, Zethrid and Narti on her heels, and banged on the door. “Keith!” she sang. “We want to talk to you!” 

He didn’t answer. 

Zethrid leaned over Ezor’s shoulder to pound on the door so hard it dented a little. “Stop ignoring us, paladin!” 

A few seconds later, the door slid open. “I was in the shower,” he muttered. 

Ezor hummed and flicked at a lock of his soaking wet hair. 

He batted her hand away. “What do you guys want?” 

She brushed past him, stepping into the room. 

“Hey—” 

Zethrid growled. “So you finally decided to court her.” 

Keith’s eyes narrowed. “I thought that was what you wanted us to do.” 

Ezor leaned against the wall, doing her best to give Keith a cool glare. “Now, I don’t think Acxa would want to court anyone who doesn’t deserve her.” 

Narti nodded in agreement as she began to circle around Keith, tail swishing. He gave her a wary glance. 

“But the thing is, since we’re Acxa’s surrogate family, you have to win  _ us _ over, too,” she continued. 

Keith glanced between the three of them. “Seriously?” 

Zethrid leaned forward, baring her teeth. “We’re very protective of Acxa.” 

“Yeah, no kidding,” Keith said. “Thing is, I’m seriously doubting anything I do is going to make you like me.” 

“Oh no.” Ezor bounded forward to sling her arm around his shoulders. “You misunderstand. We don’t  _ dislike _ you. Or at least, I don’t, Zethrid doesn’t really like anyone. We’re just going to be keeping a very close eye on you, make sure you don’t do anything to make Acxa upset. Right?” 

Narti and Zethrid nodded. 

Keith frowned. “I wasn’t planning on doing anything to make her upset?” 

“Uh huh.” Ezor tapped at his cheek. “Keep it that way. Else we’ll have to get a little rough. Accidents happen in space all the time, you know.” 

To his credit, Keith didn’t really look phased, though Ezor had no doubt that he thought they were serious. “You’re implying you’ll kill me?” 

Ezor clapped her hands together. “Glad to see everyone’s on the same page! Zethrid, Narti, let’s go.” 

Keith stared after them as they left, before scoffing and shaking his head, but Ezor noticed his little smile. 

“I think he likes us,” she said after they were back in the hallway. 

* * *

As Krolia stalked down the halls of Central Command, she hoped her nervousness didn’t show. Or if it did, everyone chalked it up to her sudden transfer. 

She rarely got nervous on missions. Not when she’d been doing this her whole life, but nerves were to be expected with an assignment like this, even for someone of her caliber. 

Assassinate the red paladin of Voltron in the heart of Galra territory. It was easily one of the most difficult tasks she’d ever been ordered to do. 

All she could hope was that she didn’t fail. 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm alive!!!!
> 
> And honestly I have no excuses for you, especially considering I've been keeping up with my other fics :/ 
> 
> But hopefully the next chapter won't take as long

Acxa was courting the red paladin of Voltron. 

Of course, Lotor couldn’t say that he was surprised, given how quickly she had become attached to him. 

And he was  _ thrilled. _ The red paladin was one of the main reasons he’d returned to Central Command, under the pretense of reconciling with his father. He would be ever so useful if Lotor managed to sway him to his side. 

The paladins of Voltron, and their connection to Altea, they were everything he needed. 

And if the red paladin was that close with Acxa, it should be relatively easy to inspire his loyalty. Or at the very least, exploit Axca’s loyalty to himself, and, by extension, the red paladin’s loyalty to Acxa. 

“Keith, is it?” 

The red paladin froze, then slowly turned around, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Not that Lotor could blame him, considering everything that was going on, and the fact that he had snuck up on him while he was alone in the hallway. “Who are you?” he asked. 

Lotor offered him a smooth smile. “I’m Prince Lotor.” 

Keith’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. “The one that Acxa works for.” 

“Ah. So she’s told you about me.” 

He frowned. “She’s mentioned you.” He crossed his arms. “What do you want with me, though?” 

“Oh, nothing much.” He leaned closer, and Keith leaned back. “But you’re working very closely with my generals. Actually…” He pointed to the insignia on his armor. “You’re technically in their squad. It would be nice if you could answer any questions I might have from time to time.” 

“Is that all?” he asked. 

Lotor nodded. “For now, yes.” It would take time to earn any trust at all from the red paladin. Asking him to work directly for him now would only make Keith trust him less. He could be patient. 

“Fine.” Keith turned on his heel, and continued on his way down the hall. 

Lotor grinned. He didn’t know much about Keith, but he could already tell this was going to be entertaining. 

* * *

“Eh, look.” The soldier sitting next to her jabbed Krolia with his elbow. “It’s that red paladin. Talk about living the life. He works directly beneath the Emperor,  _ and _ landed that sexy half-breed.” 

Krolia scowled, but ignored the comment about Acxa. She’d heard far worse out on Ranveig’s base. But she _was_ curious about the red paladin. She had yet to actually see her target. So far her time on Central Command had consisted mostly of filling out documents and finalizing her transfer. 

She raised her head and pricked her ears. 

It wasn’t hard to pick him out from the crowd. Actually, most of the Galra in the cafeteria cleared a path for the group he was with. 

Lotor’s generals. 

It was odd they had been called back to Central Command, considering Lotor’s precarious relationship with his father. But it was even more odd that the red paladin had become so close with them. From what Krolia knew, they were all hybrids. Though that wasn’t necessarily  _ uncommon _ for soldiers, it  _ was _ uncommon that they were ranked so highly. Or that a full blooded Galra would become so close with them. Most hybrids were ostracized from a lot of things. 

Then again, Lotor’s generals were obviously different. Hell, Krolia wasn’t sure if she could even take on one of them and win. She’d seen the footage of them, and they were a cutthroat group. They definitely deserved their high standing within the military, there was no doubt about that. 

Ezor swaggered into the massive room, leading the group, with Zethrid right behind her, one hand pressed against the small of Ezor’s back. It was no secret that the two of them were a couple, but Krolia was surprised they were so physically affectionate in public. They didn’t seem like the type, given their reputations. 

Narti followed not too far behind them. She was easily the most mysterious member of Lotor’s generals. Krolia had next to no information about her, and that was saying something, considering she had access to most of the Empire’s information, as well as all of the Blades’ documents. No one had any idea where she’d come from, who she was. All anyone knew was that she worked for Lotor. Well, that, and that she always had that cat with her. Even now, it rested on her shoulders, its tail twitching as it glared at anyone who dared to make eye contact with it. 

Finally, Acxa and the red paladin brought up the rear of the group. 

Acxa was another enigma. Krolia knew she had been offered even higher positions, working directly for Zarkon rather than Lotor, but she always turned the offers down. She must be fiercely loyal, though Krolia had no idea  _ why. _ It wasn’t like Lotor was ever going to end up with the throne. Though Krolia supposed she could be loyal to the other generals, not necessarily Lotor. They were obviously close with one another, and she was basically the squad’s second-in-command, right beneath Lotor. 

She walked in shoulder to shoulder with the red paladin. It was no secret that they were a couple either. Currently, that was Central Command’s favorite piece of gossip. It was hard to deny they were a couple, either, after they’d come back with bloody handprints on their faces not too long ago. 

But Krolia didn’t care about that. She locked her gaze onto the red paladin. Kolivan hadn’t given her much information on him, and she had yet to touch base with Thace yet, see what he knew. All she knew was that he had formerly worked for Voltron, but had then been captured, and ended up betraying the group, likely to save his own hide, or for the promise of power. 

He carried himself like a warrior, steps confident, chin raised, ears pricked. A sword hung from his belt, and that was… interesting. Blades were his first choice of weapon? Odd, considering most carried guns, but to each their own, she supposed. Even though the Blades used their knives and swords quite often, a lot of agents relied heavily on guns as well. 

The red paladin turned his head, and she caught his eye. He’d likely sensed her eyes on him. But Krolia didn’t look away. She held his gaze, unwilling to back down. 

But…  _ But _ then she noticed the stripes sweeping up his cheeks. She couldn’t help but raise a hand up to trace her own markings. 

They were  _ identical.  _

The red paladin looked away from her, confusion furrowing his brow, but then Acxa said something and he relaxed. 

Krolia sucked in a sharp breath. 

Markings were the easiest way to determine bloodlines.  _ Especially _ face markings like that. They were so  _ rare. _ Even Thace hadn’t inherited the face markings from their mother. 

Krolia grabbed the soldier’s shoulder. “What is his name?” 

The soldier shrugged her off with a hiss. “Huh?” 

“The red paladin!” she snapped, baring her teeth. “The hell is his  _ name?” _

He frowned. “Oh, it’s something real fucking weird. Turns out he’s a halfbreed—”

_ No, no, no, no. No, this can’t be happening.  _ Why was he even  _ here? _ How had he gotten this far from Earth? Why did he look so much like a pureblood? Had Haggar… She bit back a snarl. If Haggar had done something to him… 

“Keith, think that’s what it is,” the soldier finished. 

Krolia clutched her silverware so tightly it cracked in her fist. 

* * *

Petals crumbled in Allura’s hand, their brilliant color fading away before they vanished into dust. 

And she knew. 

She knew what Haggar had done to her. 

Allura clutched the dead flower to her chest. It used to be purple, such a gorgeous, rich color. She’d found it on the last planet they had visited, thought it was pretty. So she’d picked it and put it in a vase in her room. 

But then she woke up with that sick, dark feeling in her chest again. 

And she watched her flower fade. 

Watched her flower fade, as her exhaustion disappeared.

As her quintessence replenished. 

And the flower’s disappeared. 

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered. 


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god finals fucking killed me but I'm back now and I have a few weeks off of school, and only one class for the summer semester so yay!

Touch was strange to Keith. He’d gone most of his life without it. He remembered his father hugging him, ruffling his hair, that kind of thing, but after that, no one really touched him. Not that he would have let them if they tried. Even Shiro didn’t touch him very often, even if it was more than he had been used to for so long, as Keith often went out of his way to avoid it, for the most part. 

But Acxa and the other generals were doing their damndest to break him of his aversion to casual touching. 

Of course, he’d noticed how touchy they were with one another, it was just… odd, to have that same treatment extended to him. 

He’d expected it from Acxa, at least to a certain degree, considering they were dating, but it was still… jarring at times. She leaned on him, held his hand, hell, sometimes she completely laid on top of him. 

He could admit he liked it, even if he wasn’t used to it. 

But what freaked him the hell out was when Narti, Zethrid, and Ezor casually touched him. 

Like right now. It’d started with Acxa leaned against his shoulder, but then Zethrid sat on his other side, pressing up against him, before Ezor climbed into their laps, laying across the three of them, and Narti lounged on the floor, leaned against their legs. 

He was smashed between four Galra, and he  _ didn’t hate it.  _ He felt comfortable, even as Ezor chattered about something he couldn’t be bothered with. 

Acxa carding her fingers through his hair, digging her claws in behind his ear, coaxing a soft purr out of him. 

“You know Lotor’s been talking about weblums,” Ezor rambled. “Fucking welblums!” She threw her arms up, and Keith just barely avoided getting smacked in the face. “I don’t know about you, but I don’t want anything to do with those nasty worm thingies. Ick!” 

Narti shifted against them, slowly moving her fingers. Keith knew it was some form of sign language, he’d been doing his best to learn it, but it was slow going. 

“They are not cute, Narti!” Ezor argued, stretching to thump the back of Narti’s head. 

“Kinda cute,” Zethrid said. “In a fucking ugly kinda way.” She grinned. “Like Keith.” 

He rolled his eyes. He’d gotten used to Zethrid in the past couple weeks, and was getting better about rising to the bait. 

“What time do we have to be at that planet tomorrow?” Ezor asked. “It sounds  _ boring!”  _

“It’s a standard occupation,” Acxa said. “We’re only being sent to be sure it’s going smoothly. We won’t actually have to do anything.” 

“See, boring,” Ezor repeated. 

Keith shifted, hoping his apprehension didn’t show. It was his first time actually being sent to a planet that had been conquered. It made his skin crawl. 

But there wasn’t anything he could do about it. 

* * *

“Lance, I think you need to tell the rest of the team about this,” Shiro said. 

Lance curled in on himself. He knew that! He did! It’d been two weeks since he’d been turned into a druid, and the purple runes were still spreading. They’d made their way to his wrists and neck. It was only a matter of time before he couldn’t hide the markings anymore. “I know…” 

“Hunk, Pidge, and Coran won’t care,” Shiro said calmly. 

“I see you conveniently left Allura off of that list,” he muttered. 

Shiro grimaced. “I told you, we won’t let her do anything. And… Surely she’ll realize that this isn’t—”

“She won’t!” Lance snapped. “She’s only getting worse! More paranoid, more twitchy, more… more  _ weird!  _ Something’s  _ wrong _ with her!” She wasn’t sleeping, obsessively going over all their intelligence on the Galra, the other day, Pidge had touched her shoulder and she started  _ screaming. _

“I know,” Shiro said. “I tried talking to her, but you know how she’s been. But that doesn’t change that you can’t keep hiding this. Literally,  _ can’t.”  _

“I’ll tell them tomorrow,” he said. 

“Lance…” Shiro warned. 

“I promise!” he said. “I promise I’ll tell them!” 

* * *

“So, who all knew?” 

Thace looked her up and down, arms crossed. “It’s nice to see you, too, Krolia.” 

She bared her teeth. “Who  _ knew?” _

“I figured it out the first time I saw him,” he said. “I don’t know about anyone else in the Blade. Evidently it wasn’t necessary information to be shared if they knew.” 

Krolia couldn’t help but growl. Of course Kolivan didn’t think it necessary to inform her she was being sent to assassinate her own son. 

“What are you going to do?” Thace asked, his voice genuinely unsure. 

Krolia gripped her upper arms, her claws digging into her skin. “What kind of fucking question is that? I can’t kill my son. It’s not even an option.” She hadn’t entertained the thought since the second she learned the red paladin’s true identity. 

“Then what  _ will _ you do?” Thace asked. 

She took a deep breath. “What information do we have on him?” 

“The Altean princess the paladins follow was captured, and in the attempt to rescue her—”

“I know all that!” she snapped, before pinching the bridge of her nose. “Is there anything  _ else?”  _

Thace gave her a sad look. “There is no evidence suggesting that he isn’t loyal to the empire.” 

“That’s not what I’m asking,” she said. 

Her brother leaned against the control panel, warily eyeing the door. Krolia didn’t understand why he was being so twitchy. They would be able to easily hear anyone approaching. “Kolivan did tell me that the other paladins don’t fully believe he is a traitor. Do with that information what you will.” 

Some of the tension escaped her shoulders, but not much. “Thank you, Thace.” 

“Yeah, sure. But you better keep me in the loop, no matter what you plan,” he said. 

Krolia grinned, lunging across the room to grab Thace and pull him into a chokehold. “Worried about your big sister?” 

He didn’t struggle, which took some of the fun out of it. “Yes, Krolia, I am. Because the last time you went rogue, you were missing for decaphoebs and ended up with a son that may have just become the final weapon the Empire needs to wipe everything else out for good.” 

Krolia let him go, stumbling back a pace. “Keith wouldn’t do that.” 

“You don’t know him. You don’t know him  _ at all,” _ Thace argued. “Please, remember that.” 

She turned her head away, unable to stand the pity in her brother’s gaze. “I will.” 


End file.
